In April, Russia and Ukraine reached a deal through Qatar’s mediation over the exchange of 48 children separated by the war. The deal would allow 29 children to head to Ukraine and the remaining 19 to Russia.
Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Al Khulaifi and Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov have discussed the latest developments between Moscow and Kyiv as well as the situation in the Gaza Strip.
According to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, both officials met in Moscow on Tuesday, where international and regional issues were at the centre of the discussions.
“Cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them were reviewed, and a number of regional and international issues were discussed, especially developments in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, and developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
Lavrov also praised Qatar’s role in reuniting children with their families that have been separated by the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
Al Khulaifi separately met Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and African Countries.
The meeting also dealt with the developments in the Gaza Strip, where Qatar’s mediation role in reaching a ceasefire deal was highlighted.
“[Al Khulaifi] affirmed Qatar’s firm belief in the necessity of resolving all regional and international conflicts and crises through peaceful means in a way that enhances global security and stability,” the Qatari foreign ministry said.
Qatar, which hosts a Hamas political office, has played a central role as mediator since the beginning of Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
Mediation efforts have stalled since the expiration of a week-long truce brokered by Qatar and Egypt last November, which resulted in the release of 109 Israeli captives held by Hamas.
Israel’s brutal onslaught has neared its 10-month mark, with more than 39,400 people—mostly women and children—killed, and at least 90,996 others wounded.
Earlier in July, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani stressed the need to reach a ceasefire deal “as soon as possible” during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan.
President Putin echoed the Qatari leader, saying Russia is “convinced that the Palestinian issue can be resolved according to international references and the two-state solution.”
“We know that Qatar is making tremendous efforts to reach a settlement in Gaza, a ceasefire, and an exchange of hostages,” Putin said at the time.
Qatar’s mediation efforts
In April, Russia and Ukraine reached a deal through Qatar’s mediation over the exchange of 48 children separated by the war. The deal would allow 29 children to head to Ukraine and the remaining 19 to Russia.
Doha had announced the first such reunification on October 16, 2023, when it repatriated four Ukrainian children from Russia.
Ukraine believes that Russia took more than 19,000 Ukrainian children since the beginning of Moscow’s invasion in February 2022. It remains unclear how many have returned to their homeland.
Qatar has maintained a balanced foreign policy since the beginning of the deadly war between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022. The Gulf state has maintained its communications with both sides while repeatedly calling for the need for dialogue to end the conflict.
Qatar had previously expressed its openness to facilitate dialogue between rivals Russia and Ukraine “if asked” by its international partners.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Doha in June, where he met Sheikh Tamim at the Lusail Palace. Zelenskyy had reiterated his appreciation for the Gulf state’s role at the time.
In July last year, Doha pledged $100 million in aid to Kyiv during a meeting between Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Zelenskyy.
Sheikh Mohammed’s visit to Ukraine came a month after a stopover in Moscow on June 22 of the same year, where he met Lavrov. The Qatari official had called for respecting Ukraine’s territorial dignity and independence, as well as the United Nations Charter.
In March 2022, Qatar was among 141 countries that voted on a UN resolution demanding Russia’s “immediate and complete” withdrawal from Ukraine.
