Vladimir Putin has said Russia will fight for an independent Palestinian state, and called for the issues of the Middle East to be resolved through peaceful means.

Despite international criticism over Russia’s own role in the Ukrainian crisis, Mr Putin was hailed last week by a St Petersburg Cossack group for his ability to “bring order and stop wars”.

In an address to the Arab League summit in Egypt on Saturday, Mr Putin spoke against foreign intervention in countries’ internal disputes and spoke of the role Russia can play in diplomatic channels.

While Russia openly opposes the stance of US-backed Israel on the Gaza crisis, its position in the Middle East is complicated. Mr Putin is one of Iran’s key allies, but as he spoke on Saturday the core nations of the Arab League engaged in air strikes on the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

His attempts to urge a peaceful solution in Yemen haven’t had much of an immediate impact – on Sunday, the Arab League agreed to the creation of a joint military forces comprised of around 40,000 elite troops to resolve the future “challenges” of the Middle East.

As one of the “Quartet” entities involved in Middle East peace negotiations, Russia has played a key role in talks about the fallout of last year’s Gaza crisis.

He told the summit this weekend: “Palestinians have the right to establish an independent and habitable state with a capital in East Jerusalem.

“Russia will continue to contribute to achieving this goal through bilateral and multilateral channels,” he said.

9 controversial Putin quotes Show all 9 1 /9 9 controversial Putin quotes 9 controversial Putin quotes 2004 “Anyone who doesn't regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains.” Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes December 2005 “There is no such thing as a former KGB man.” Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes G8 Summit press conference 2008 “If you want to become an Islamic fundamentalist and be circumcised, come to Moscow. We are multiconfessional. We have very good specialists. I can recommend one for the operation. He'll make sure nothing grows back.” Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes 2010 “Russia doesn't negotiate with terrorists. It destroys them.” After the Moscow Metro bomb Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes September 2013 “They say that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a homosexual. Truth be told, we don’t love him because of that, but he was a great musician, and we all love his music. So what?” Interview with Associated Press Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes March 2014 “The West’s leaders seem, from what they say, entirely to have forgotten that there are some leaders in the world who want to conquer other countries.” Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes 2014 Amazingly elaborate metaphor regarding the West and Russia “[Sometimes I think] our bear should probably just sit quietly and just eat honey instead of hunting animals, maybe then they will leave the bear in peace, but, no, they will not. What they are trying to do is chain the bear, and when they chain the bear they will take out his fangs and claws. This is how nuclear deterrence is working at the moment. If they take out the bear’s fangs and claws, then the bear will not be able to do anything. It will just be a stuffed animal.” Russian President’s annual press conference Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes 2014 After Ksenia Sobchack, a well-known anti-Kremlin activist and journalist, was allowed to ask a question about Putin’s government suppressing opposing political viewpoints: “Why did you give her the floor?” Russian President’s annual press conference Getty images 9 controversial Putin quotes January 2014 “You can feel relaxed and calm [in Russia], but leave children alone, please.” Directed at gay people in January 2014, before the Sochi Winter Olympics Getty images

Last month, the Quartet of the US, EU, UN and Russia issued a joint statement after a meeting in Germany to express their frustration at the breakdown of talks in Israel.

Both sides left the negotiating table with Palestinians angry at continued building on Jewish settlements in occupied territory and Israel objecting to the idea of Hamas entering the Palestinian government, Reuters reported.

All four Quartet members reiterated that talks must respect both Israel’s concerns over security and Palestinian demands for statehood.