Hamas leader to discuss Palestinian-Russian relations in Moscow

Despite a delay in scheduling, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Sputnik on Friday that Moscow is ready to receive Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

"I cannot confirm this, there is no agreed date. We discussed it when Mousa Abu Marzook, the deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was here [in Russia]. We are ready to receive the delegation, but the date is to be agreed on," Bogdanov said at the forum Russia-Islamic World: Kazan Summit 2022. 

According to media sources cited by Sputnik, Haniyeh might visit Russia in June. 

A leading delegation from the Hamas movement, at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, arrived in Moscow earlier this May. The delegation included the leaders Fathi Hammad and Hussam Badran, in addition to the movement's representative in Moscow. According to the source, the Hamas delegation discussed with the Russian officials the situation in occupied Al-Quds, field developments in the Palestinian arena, as well as the bilateral relationship between Russia and Hamas.