Russian security official says U.S. Middle East policies led to current crisis

MOSCOW, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The catastrophic escalation of the Middle East conflict was primarily provoked by U.S. policies in the region, local media reported Tuesday, citing Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.

Washington's foreign policy in the Middle East has escalated tensions and led to devastating consequences, namely substantial civilian casualties, Patrushev said.

"Instead of trying to help resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the United States is, on the contrary, contributing to its escalation by supplying weapons and sending aircraft carriers to the region," he said.

At the same time, Washington is still attempting to preserve its global dominance, he added.

During a meeting with top security and law enforcement officials on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin similarly noted that the United States and its allies are behind the Middle East crisis and other regional conflicts and benefit most from global instability.?