Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi linked calls in the United States to put a stop to Israel’s incursion in Gaza to interference in US affairs by Russian President Vladimir Putin, al Jazeera reports.

Pelosi told CNN that “we must stop the suffering in Gaza” but added some protests calling for a ceasefire across the US are directly linked to and funded by Russia.

“For them to call for a ceasefire is Mr Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine,” Pelosi said. She added, “I think some financing should be investigated” and called on the FBI to do so.