Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in Moscow today to seek Russia's backing in his feud with rival faction Hamas for control over the Palestinian territories.
Mr Abbas fired his Hamas-led government after the faction forcibly took control of the Gaza strip on June 14th, but Russia - alone among members of the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace brokers - is in contact with Hamas leaders.
Mr Abbas will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today and have talks with President Vladimir Putin tomorrow, their first meeting since Hamas seized control in Gaza.
"The most important thing that I will raise and discuss with President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov is the bloody overthrow that happened in Gaza," Mr Abbas said.
He said he would also discuss conditions for holding an international conference on the Middle East and inform the Russians about talks with ex-British prime minister Tony Blair, the Quartet's new envoy.
Russia - along with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations - make up the Quartet.
The United States and the European Union have sought to bolster Mr Abbas and sideline the Hamas militant group financially and diplomatically.