Qatari Emir arrives in Moscow to meet Putin

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in Moscow on Thursday, Russian state news tagency TASS reported, for a visit that included talks with President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine and Middle East issues.

Qatar has made a series of attempts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and has helped arrange the return of children from both countries who were separated from their parents during the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end the "bloodbath", but has yet to achieve a breakthrough. Moscow has said it is not easy to agree a settlement.

Qatar plans to strengthen relations with Russia, Sheikh Tamim said at a joint press conference with President Putin in Moscow.

The two leaders reviewed agreements to be signed during the Emir's visit, described by the Kremlin as "very important".

Putin told the Qatari emir that it was important for Moscow to discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict and the future of Syria during the Qatari ruler's visit to Moscow.

Sheikh Tamim also said that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, an ally of Qatar, was seeking to build relations with Russia, after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, who was a close ally of Russia.

Al-Thani also said during his meeting with the Russian leader that Israel had failed to respect January's ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

"As you know, we reached an agreement months ago, but unfortunately Israel did not abide by this agreement," said the ruler of Qatar, a key mediator of the deal.

Sheikh Tamim said Qatar would "strive to bridge perspectives in order to reach an agreement that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza".

Putin recognised Qatar's "serious efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict" and called deaths in the conflict "a tragedy".

"A long-term settlement can only be achieved on the basis of the UN resolution and first of all connected to the establishment of two states," he added.

A truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar with Egypt and the United States, came into force on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of Israeli attacks following Palestinian fighters' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The initial phase of the truce ended in early March, with the two sides unable to agree on the next steps. Israel resumed air and ground attacks across the Gaza Strip on March 18 after earlier halting the entry of aid.

Israel said Wednesday that it had converted 30 percent of Gaza into a buffer zone in the widening offensive.

Israel's renewed assault has so far killed at least 1,691 people in Gaza, the health ministry in the territory reported, bringing the overall toll since the war erupted to 51,065, most of them civilians.