Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow supports the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but expressed doubts whether it will last. This is the first official comment from Russia since US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement, reports "Reuters".
"It is difficult to draw final conclusions at this stage. The information is contradictory and we should not rush to make assessments," Lavrov said during a press conference.
According to him, the United States managed to convince Israel to accept a truce and agree to an indefinite ceasefire, while Qatar played a key mediating role in convincing Tehran. "Our Qatari friends have been active towards the Iranian side, as reported", the Russian diplomat specified.
However, Lavrov stressed that since the announcement of the ceasefire, there have been reports of mutual strikes between Israel and Iran, which calls into question the sustainability of the agreement.
Russia welcomes the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, if it has really been achieved, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said.
"If it has really been possible to achieve a ceasefire, then this can only be welcomed. This is what Russia has been calling for from the very beginning of this conflict. Therefore, this can and should be welcomed," Peskov said. "We hope this will be a sustainable ceasefire."
When asked whether Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had delivered a written message from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to the Russian president at the meeting the day before, Peskov replied: "There was no written document. That there were certain, let's say, messages from the Iranian leadership - yes, that's true."
Russia, which signed a strategic partnership agreement with Iran in January, has repeatedly condemned Israeli and American strikes on Iranian targets as "illegal and unjustified." Iran has responded by striking Israeli cities as well as a US military base in Qatar.
Moscow has called for restraint from all sides and insisted that the conflict be resolved diplomatically. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry has reservations about the practical applicability of the ceasefire and warns that "fragmentary information cannot serve as a basis for definitive assessments".