The Kremlin has said it has yet to decide whether to join the Gaza peace council established by US President Donald Trump, with presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing the initiative as less relevant now that a wider war is under way in the Middle East.

"We see that in general, while the war in the Middle East is ongoing, the phrase 'peace council' is probably less relevant now than it was before this [Iran] war began. We probably need to wait and see how all this ends," Peskov told TASS on March 29.

Russia skipped the council's first meeting, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously saying Moscow was still formulating its position.

The Gaza Peace Council was formally established in Davos on January 22. Its membership includes the US, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kosovo, Indonesia, Morocco, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

Countries wishing to become permanent members must contribute $1bn towards the reconstruction of Gaza. Without payment, membership is limited to three years.

Putin had previously signalled openness to joining, saying Russia was willing to direct $1bn from its frozen US assets into the council and instructing the Foreign Ministry to study the proposal and consult strategic partners.

He also suggested a portion of frozen assets could be used to rebuild territories damaged in the Ukraine war following a peace agreement.