Russia, a member of the quartet of Mideast mediators along with the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, has stepped up its role as a peace broker in recent years, and has proposed holding a Mideast peace conference in Moscow as a follow-up to last November's U.S. conference in Annapolis.
Speaking to reporters after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Vladimir Putin said: "Taking into account growing tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians, we believe there is a need for a mediatory role from Egypt and Russia."
Palestinian-Israeli violence has continued unabated since the Annapolis peace conference. More than 300 people have been killed in clashes between the sides since the November talks.
Putin said the Moscow conference would only take place if all sides concerned showed an interest.
"We are holding talks with the Americans, Israelis and Arabs" on the issue, he said.
The president also said he and Mubarak shared the view that Palestinian factions must reach an agreement between themselves before progress can be made on forming an independent Palestinian state.
Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah concluded five days of failed talks in Yemen on Tuesday. Islamist group Hamas, which has controlled volatile Gaza since last June, refused to give into Fatah's demand that it cede control over the enclave.
