Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath laying ceremony during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the battle of Stalingrad in World War Two, at the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex in the city of Volgograd, Russia February 2, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas plan to discuss a possible new mediation mechanism to replace the Middle East Quartet, the Interfax news agency said on Wednesday, citing a Palestinian diplomat in Russia.

The discussion would take place when the two meet in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Feb. 12, Abdel Hafiz Nofal, a Palestinian envoy in Moscow, was cited as saying.