MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. Russia has sent a note to the US agreeing to use $1 billion in frozen funds for Gaza’s reconstruction, but has received no response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Al Arabia television channel on Wednesday.

Lavrov confirmed that Russia is ready to contribute to the efforts of the Board of Peace on Gaza and recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly announced during Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's visit that Moscow was prepared to allocate $1 billion from funds frozen by the US under the Joe Biden administration for Palestine's reconstruction, particularly Gaza.

"I understand that President Trump responded positively when informed of this initiative, saying it was a good idea. However, since then, US authorities have not formally confirmed their president’s assessment. We have submitted an official note requesting that this be treated as consent and instruction to allocate $1 billion of our funds toward projects in Gaza," the foreign minister stressed.

"We do not want our funds to be allocated for anything other than the basic needs of the civilian population: housing, clinics, schools, and related necessities. It has now been announced that a meeting of the Board of Peace will take place in Washington on February 19, and that countries have pledged $5 billion in contributions. One hopes that Russia’s pledged billion forms part of that total," Lavrov added.