Conflict and Peace

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Wednesday to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement that could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns, AP reported. Speaking to senior news leaders of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin noted that “it’s a delicate issue,” but added that “in my view, a solution could be found.” Meanwhile, Iran launched a fresh salvo of missiles at Israel on Thursday, with a hospital reported hit, as US President Donald Trump warned he was weighing US military action in the conflict.

According to the Russian Security Council Secretary, Sergei Shoigu, thousands of North Koreans are set to assist in the reconstruction efforts in the Russian border region of Kursk, which recently witnessed intense fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

The G7 summit, a gathering of major world leaders meeting at Kananaskis, in the Canadian Rockies, has concluded with a joint leaders statement urging a "de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza". It stopped short of calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. The leaders' statement, published as US President Trump left Canada, said Israel had a right to defend itself, and that Iran was a source of terror that should not have a nuclear weapon. According to the BBC, its call for a resolution of the crisis that led to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East amounted to a diplomatic compromise that preserved G7 unity but watered down the statement's impact.

Leaders of the G7  countries meet in Canada this week, for a summit that is not quite what they had expected, with the Israel-Iran conflict being on everyone’s mind. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan and the European Union will be there, and of course, the president of the United States Donald Trump. Mark Carney, the new Canadian Prime Minister, had planned fo talks in the wilderness retreat of Kananaskis, that avoided rows with Mr Trump. Much of the agenda was non-controversial, about energy security, protecting mineral supply chains, accelerating the digital transition and tackling forest fires. However, Israel's decision to attack Iran will force the Group of Seven western powers to spend less time on other issues and instead discuss ways of managing the conflict. Canadian officials, still bruised by the experience of the last G7 summit that they hosted in 2018, even decided not to have a summit communique to avoid textual disputes dominating the gathering. On that occasion, Mr Trump in his first stint in office stormed out early and, on the plane home, withdrew his support for the summit communique. Instead, world leaders will agree a number of "short, action-oriented statements" that maintain consensus and ignore divisive issues. That now seems also to be overambitious. The G7 leaders, due to arrive in Canada on Sunday, know the global security and economic risks if this conflict escalates, dragging in other countries, sending oil prices soaring. Other leaders are also attending the summit as guests, including from Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine and Brazil. Many of them have their own problems with Mr Trump.