"President Putin noted that he would meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas later today, and President Trump said that now is the time to work toward an enduring peace agreement," the release said on Monday. Trump also reiterated the need for taking further steps to ensure the denuclearization of North Korea, the release added.
"In this current atmosphere created by the actions of the United States, we declare that starting from now, we refuse to cooperate in any way with the Americans as mediators, as we oppose their actions," Abbas said at talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.
Abbas stressed that if an international event (on Israeli-Palestinian conflict settlement) takes place, Palestine asks that its result be the creation of such a mechanism, in which the United States will not be the only mediator, but part of a group of mediators.
Trump Offers Condolences to Putin for Deadly Plane Crash
Meanhwhile, US President Donald Trump extended his condolences over the a recent deadly crash of a Russian regional passenger plane near Moscow in phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, the Kremlin's press service said.
"During a telephone conversation, the American president expressed his condolences to Putin in connection with the catastrophe that occurred the day before," the press service said in a statement.
"President Trump said that the United States was standing by to assist Russian authorities in their investigation," the release said on Monday.
The Saratov Airlines An-148 plane flying from Moscow to Orsk crashed on Sunday a few minutes after taking off from the Domodedovo airport outside the Russian capital. All 65 passengers and six crew members on board died in the crash.