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MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join US President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d meant to oversee governance and reconstruction in postwar Gaza, the Kremlin said Monday.<\/strong><\/p>\n Moscow for years tried to balance relations with all major players in the Middle East \u2014 including Israel and the Palestinians.<\/p>\n But since the Israel-Hamas war and Russia\u2019s assault on Ukraine, Putin has moved away from Israel, boosting ties with its foes like Iran. Moscow has also sought closer relationships with the Gulf states.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Putin also received an invitation to join this Board of Peace,\u201d spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, including AFP.<\/p>\n Russia was seeking to \u201cclarify all the nuances\u201d of the offer with Washington, he said, without adding if the Kremlin chief as inclined to join.<\/p>\n The White House has reached out to various figures around the world to sit on the so-called \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d, chaired by the US president himself.<\/p>\n Putin has previously praised Trump\u2019s efforts to resolve conflicts.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s really doing a lot to resolve these complex crises, which have lasted for years, even decades,\u201d Putin said last October.<\/p>\n Referring to the situation in the Middle East, Putin said: \u201cIf we succeed in achieving everything Donald has strived for\u2026 it will be a historic event.\u201d<\/p>\n The assault on Ukraine and the war in Gaza have strained Moscow\u2019s traditionally good relations with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community.<\/p>\n The Kremlin has repeatedly criticised Israel\u2019s response to the October 7 attacks and called for restraint.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in the full sense of the word,\u201d Putin was quoted as saying by the news agency RIA Novosti, at a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas last May.<\/p>\n \u201cRussia, as a friend of the Palestinian people, is trying to provide regular assistance,\u201d the Russian president added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n