U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a family photo shoot for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting at the International Convention Center at Yanqi Lake in Beijing, November 11, 201
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a family photo shoot for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting at the International Convention Center at Yanqi Lake in Beijing, November 11, 2014. Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Russia is set to back up Palestine and its bid for statehood in the United Nations Security Council. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov believes a UN statehood resolution could spark a renewal of negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

Bognadov was quoted in the Moscow Times saying Russia is prepared to support Palestine if the resolution will be put to a vote. He said Russia's position on Palestine's proposed statehood reflects the view of many European countries. Bognadov mentioned Sweden that recognised Palestine as a state while Spain and Britain had passed resolutions stating the same.

According to international media, Bognadov said both Israel and the United States have made attempts to prevent the Palestinian Authority to submit the resolution for statehood to the UN. The Russian official pointed out the U.S. might possibly block the resolution if it came to a vote. He said the Palestinians are planning to appeal to various international bodies, including the International Criminal Court if the U.S. will veto the statehood resolution.

According to the Palestinian Authority, 134 countries have so far recognised Palestine as a state including Russia while France is expected to vote on the matter days from now. Palestine's draft resolution is calling for an end to Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem and other Palestinian authorities.

Meanwhile, the number of Russians who have negative sentiments towards the U.S. has increased following the escalated tensions over the Ukraine crisis. In a poll conducted by state-run Public Opinion Foundation, 37 percent of the respondents said they have unfavourable views of the U.S. The number has skyrocketed from just 18 percent since Feb 2013 or before the start of the Ukraine crisis.

The number of Russians who had good feelings towards the U.S. fell from 23 percent in early 2013 to 11 percent. Among the respondents, 78 percent felt the U.S. plays a negative role in world affairs. The number has increased from 53 percent since the last poll in 2013. About 36 percent said American influence was weakening.

The number of Russians who are hostile towards U.S. President Barack Obama has also increased from 8 percent in 2011 to 40 percent in 2014. Majority of 64 percent of the people think that the relationship between Russia and U.S. is going "bad" while 70 percent believe the situation has worsened in the past year, The Moscow Times said in a report. About 37 percent of Russians thought the U.S. is mostly to blame for the relationship going sour while 16 percent believe it is the entire fault of the U.S.

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