Russia's presidential office says that President Vladimir Putin discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with leaders in the Middle East over the phone on Monday.

Putin spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov had earlier stressed the need to take proactive measures to keep the conflict from escalating further. He said Putin would describe Russia's stance in the phone calls.

The office said Putin met with top defense and security officials at his residence in a Moscow suburb to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Observers say Russia is aiming to take a different approach to the Middle East crisis from Western countries, while it is locked in a confrontation with the US and its allies over Ukraine.