Qatari Emir meets Putin in Moscow

The Russian state-run news agency TASS reports that Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, arrived in Moscow Thursday for a trip which will include discussions with President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine and Middle East-related issues.

Qatar has tried to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and helped arrange for the return of separated children from both countries.

This week, Russia and Qatar announced that their leaders would be discussing efforts to reach a peace agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has said repeatedly that he wants to stop the "bloodbath" but has not yet achieved a breakthrough. Moscow said that it was not easy to reach a settlement.

The Kremlin stated that Putin's discussions with the Qatari Emir will also be focused on regional issues.

Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, Qatar's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, told TASS, the state news agency, that the discussions would include Ukraine, Syria, Gaza Strip, and energy, such as liquefied gas (LNG). Reporting by Felix Light, Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing and proofreading by Mark Trevelyan

(source: Reuters)