Putin accused of forming ‘axis of terror’ with Hamas, Iran

Russia has been condemned for rolling out the red carpet in Moscow for senior leaders of Hamas and Iran — which one alarmed expert called proof President Vladimir Putin is forming a new “axis of terror against the West.”

Russian Foreign Ministry officials met with Hamas leaders Bassem Naeem and Mousa Abu Marzouk in Moscow on Thursday, just weeks after their terror group stormed Israel and slaughtered at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

The terrorist leaders posed with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Putin’s special envoy in the Middle East — who also met Thursday with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani.

The Iranian official also had his own talks with Hamas’ Marzouk while both were guests in Moscow, the Russian state news agency TASS reported Friday.

Hamas later praised Putin — who is currently waging war on Ukraine — for his “stance” on its war of terror on Israel.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said diplomats emphasized “the need for a cessation of hostilities in and around the Gaza Strip and the prompt provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected Palestinian population.”

It added that its deputy foreign minister and his Iranian guest, Bagheri Kani, also reaffirmed a shared commitment to “continue close coordination of efforts in the interests of stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.”

The meetings set off alarm bells in the West that Russia was forming an alliance with Hamas — with Iran acting as a trusted go-between given its existing role as Russia’s supplier of kamikaze drones as well as its long-running support and funding for the terror group.

“News of the Iran-backed Hamas terror group being welcomed in Moscow should be extremely concerning to the West,” Kasra Aarabi, a director at US-based United Against Nuclear Iran told The Telegraph.

He warned that Russia and Iran were united by “hostility towards the West” — suggesting it marked “a new and looming axis of terror against the West.”

Israel decried the Hamas envoys’ warm welcome in Moscow as “deplorable” and accused Putin’s government of giving support to terrorism.

“Israel sees the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow as an obscene step that gives support to terrorism and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement shared on X.

“The hands of senior Hamas officials are stained with the blood of over 1,400 Israelis who were slaughtered, murdered, executed and burned, and they are responsible for the kidnapping of over 220 Israelis including babies, children, women and the elderly,” it added, describing Hamas as being “worse than ISIS.”

But the Kremlin on Friday defended the Hamas invitation, arguing that it was necessary to maintain contacts with all sides in the Middle East conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Hamas delegation had met with representatives of Russia’s foreign ministry but not with Putin or members of his administration.

“We consider it necessary to continue our contacts with all parties and, of course, we will continue our dialog with Israel,” Peskov told reporters.

Russia’s embassy in Israel issued a statement in which it reiterated Moscow’s call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gazans, which Israel is pummeling with airstrikes ahead of an expected ground invasion.

With Post wires