Russia said on Saturday that it had promised emergency assistance to the Hamas-led Palestinian government, despite EU and U.S. decision to withhold aid to the Palestinians.

A foreign ministry statement said the offer was made in a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.

Moscow was willing to provide immediate aid to the Palestinians, Lavrov said, without specifying the exact amount Russia would provide.

The European Union, the United States and Canada have suspended their financial aid to the Palestinian government.

Engaging the new Hamas leadership was the only way to force it to recognize Israel, the minister said while warning that the cutoff of international aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government would further destabilize the region.