Russia's Putin hosts Israeli PM Bennett

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed anticipation connected Friday that caller Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would proceed successful the footsteps of his predecessor successful maintaining adjacent and “trusting” relations with his country.

Welcoming Bennett astatine the commencement of their archetypal gathering successful Russia’s Black Sea edifice of Sochi, Putin hailed Russian-Israeli ties arsenic “unique,” noting that Israel is location to the largest Russian-speaking community.

Putin kept adjacent idiosyncratic ties with erstwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly visited Russia. On Friday, Putin pointed to Russia’s “business-like and trusting relationship” with Netanyahu’s authorities and expressed anticipation that Bennett’s authorities would prosecute a “policy of continuity” successful Russian-Israeli ties.

Bennett extolled the “great contribution” made by his country’s 1 cardinal Russian speakers, and emphasized “the heavy transportation betwixt the 2 countries” portion praising Putin for bringing them person during his 20-year rule.

“I tin archer you connected behalf of the citizens of Israel that we see you a existent person of the Jewish people,” Bennett said.

Bennett hailed the Soviet relation successful World War II and talked astir a caller depository successful Israel that honors Jewish soldiers who fought successful allied armies, chiefly the Red Army. “It’s intolerable not to admit the heroism of the full Russian federation during those hard years,” helium said successful remarks that apt resonated with Putin who cherishes his country’s decisive publication to the triumph implicit the Nazis.

Russia and Israel person developed adjacent political, economical and taste ties that person helped them tackle delicate and divisive issues, specified arsenic the concern successful Syria wherever Moscow has teamed up with Tehran to enactment up Syrian President Bashar Assad’s rule.

“We volition besides speech astir the concern successful Syria, and the efforts to halt the Iranian subject atomic program,” Bennett said astatine the commencement of his talks with Putin.

Putin said that Russia has been “making efforts to assistance reconstruct Syria’s statehood and to fortify it.” He noted that contempt immoderate problems regarding the concern successful Syria, “there is besides communal crushed and opportunities for cooperation, particularly successful presumption of the combat against terrorism.”

Israel views Iranian entrenchment connected its bluish frontier arsenic a reddish line, and it has repeatedly struck what it says are Iran-linked facilities and weapons convoys destined for Lebanese Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militant radical has fought alongside Syrian authorities forces successful the country’s civilian war.

Russia has waged a subject run successful Syria since 2015, helping Assad’s authorities reclaim power implicit astir of the country. Moscow besides has helped modernize Syria’s military, including providing Assad with aerial defence systems, and trained its personnel.

Russia and Israel established a subject hotline to coordinate aerial unit operations implicit Syria to debar clashes. Israel often attacks Iranian-linked targets successful Syria, portion Russia has provided enactment to the Syrian government.

In 2018, Russia-Israeli ties were severely tested by the downing of a Russian warplane by Syrian forces that responded to an Israeli aerial raid and mistook a Russian reconnaissance level for Israeli jets. All 15 members of the Russian unit died.

Moscow besides has played a delicate diplomatic crippled of maintaining affable ties with some Israel and Iran. In 2018, Moscow struck a woody with Tehran to support its fighters distant from the Golan Heights to accommodate Israeli concerns astir the Iranian beingness successful Syria.

Russia is 1 of the planetary parties that negotiated a 2015 atomic woody with Iran. The woody fell isolated aft then-President Donald Trump withdrew successful 2018. But the caller U.S. medication is present trying to revive the woody with different planetary powers — a measurement that Israel opposes.

Jack Jeffery contributed to this study from Jerusalem.