Russia maintains regular contacts with Hamas, Hezbollah, diplomat says

Russia maintains regular contacts with Hamas and Hezbollah as part of efforts to promote dialogue and seek diplomatic solutions to conflicts in the Middle East, a senior Russian diplomat said Wednesday.

Aleksandr Kinshchak, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of the Middle East and North Africa, told Russian news agency Interfax that Moscow maintains contacts with a broad range of political forces.

"We regularly communicate both with the leadership of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and with other participants in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," he said.

Kinshchak said Moscow considers such communication important for addressing issues including ceasefires, humanitarian aid deliveries and evacuations, as well as broader efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue.

On Lebanon, he said Russia had consistently called for an end to hostilities and a transition to a political and diplomatic settlement, adding that Moscow was conveying this position to all parties involved.

He said decisions in Lebanon's direct dialogue with Israel should be based on consensus among the country's major political forces, including Hezbollah, which he said was represented in the government and parliament.

Asked about a US-announced agreement on Hamas disarmament, Kinshchak said Moscow had doubts about the prospects for its rapid implementation.

Hamas considers disarmament to be linked to a complete cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, while Israel has publicly called for Hamas to be fully demilitarized first, he said.

“Without real mechanisms of guarantees and in the absolute absence of trust between the parties, the possibility of a speedy compromise raises doubts,” he said.

Assurances from Israel on weapon deliveries to Ukraine

On relations with Israel, Kinshchak said Russia-Israel ties had been affected by the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Although Israel had not formally joined Western sanctions against Russia, some Israeli businesses had reduced bilateral activity over concerns about secondary sanctions, he added.

Kinshchak also said Moscow had discussed reports of Israeli weapons deliveries to Ukraine with Israeli officials and received assurances that the reports were untrue.

"We promptly discuss them with the Israeli side through various channels and receive assurances that such information does not correspond to reality," he said.

Kinshchak said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held six telephone conversations in 2025 and two in 2026.

He added that the two countries were preparing events to mark the 35th anniversary of the restoration of full diplomatic relations on Oct. 18.