A delegation from Hamas and a member of the Iranian government visit Moscow outside

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed on Thursday that a delegation from the Hamas movement is currently in Moscow. She added that Iranian Deputy Minister and diplomat Ali Bagheri Kani arrived in the Russian capital. But she did not reveal any other details.

Moscow maintains relations with all major players in the Middle East, including Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas.

Russia has repeatedly blamed the current crisis in the Middle East on failed American diplomacy. The country called for a ceasefire and peace talks between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier Thursday, Moscow reported that Russia held talks in Qatar with a delegation from Hamas about the fate of hostages held by the armed movement. Israel says Hamas is holding more than 220 hostages in the Gaza Strip. At least two of them are believed to be Russian citizens, according to Moscow.

At the beginning of this week, the Kremlin responded angrily to a statement by US President Joe Biden in which he compared Russia to the Hamas movement and described Putin as a “tyrant.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, saying: “We do not accept such language in relation to the Russian Federation and our president.”

In a speech immediately after his return from Israel, Biden said that the United States should support both Ukraine and Israel. The president stated that Russia and Hamas both want to “totally destroy a neighboring democracy.” “Terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin should not win,” he said.