War Rages in the Middle East, Russia Calls Peace Council Irrelevant

Moscow – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the Russian government has not yet decided whether to join the Peace Council established by US President Donald Trump. However, Peskov assessed that with the war currently raging in the Middle East, the phrase “Peace Council” has become irrelevant.

“No, there has been no such decision,” Peskov said when asked if Russia would join the Peace Council, as quoted by the Russian news agency’s website, TASS, on Sunday (29/3/2026).

Peskov then immediately highlighted the war currently underway in the Middle East. The unrest in the region is known to have been triggered by aggression launched by the US and Israel against Iran.

“Overall, while the war is ongoing, the phrase ‘Peace Council’ may now be less relevant than before the war began. We may need to wait until it ends,” Peskov said.

He stated that Russia views the countries in the Arab Gulf as partners and wants to enhance cooperation with them. “Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are our partners and good friends. They are among the countries with which we want to develop bilateral cooperation,” he said.

“We will continue like this because we value our relations with them,” Peskov added.

The US and Israel launched aggression against Iran on 28 February 2026. Iran responded to the attack by launching retaliatory airstrikes on various US military and diplomatic facilities in the Middle East. Israeli territory was also not spared from Iran’s counterattacks.

To date, the war between the US-Israel and Iran is still ongoing. In addition to retaliating against attacks from Washington and Tel Aviv, Iran has tightened ship traffic access in the Strait of Hormuz. This measure has caused global oil prices to fluctuate. More than 20 percent of the world’s oil supply is known to pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day.