MIDEAST: Russia Warns Against US Involvement; Putin-Xi Talk On MidEast Conflict

(MNI) London - Reuters reports headlines attributed to the Kremlin urging Israel to "immediately halt air attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant" as "Russian experts" are currently working on site. Kremlin also "repeats warning to the US not to get militarily involved in the Israel-Iran situation". So far, Russia has offered to mediate in the conflict but this has not been taken up by either side and was dismissed out of hand by US President Donald Trump. Speaking to reporters on 18 June, Trump said, “He [Russian President Vladimir Putin] actually offered to help mediate. I said, ‘Do me a favour, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay?’ I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.’”

• Comments from the Kremlin come a short time after a call between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. A readout from state-run Xinhua states that Xi proposed an immediate ceasefire, saying "The parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible", called for all parties to "strictly abide by international law, resolutely avoid harming innocent civilians, and facilitate the evacuation of citizens of third countries", said all sides should "persist in pushing the Iranian nuclear issue back on track for a political solution through dialogue and negotiation", and "the international community, especially major powers that have a special influence on the parties to the conflict, should make efforts to promote the cooling of the situation, rather than the opposite."