On warm visit to Israel, Putin vague on Iran sanctions, Syrian arms, but calls for renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Israel and Russia are united in their conviction that Iran’s nuclear program poses a grave threat to the world, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Israel Monday afternoon for his first visit to the region since taking office in May.
“We agree that Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons is a grave threat first and foremost to Israel, but also to the region and to the world,” Netanyahu said to Putin during a joint press conference in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon.
Later that evening President Shimon Peres echoed the same sentiment.
“I know, Mr. President, that Russia opposes a nuclear Iran. You have expressed this clearly,” Peres said during a public portion of a state dinner at his Jerusalem residence.
He said that Israel does not threaten Iran’s existence and its people are not Iran’s enemy.
But the leadership in Tehran has called itself Israel’s enemy and has threatened to annihilate the Jewish state.
“I am confident that under your leadership Russia will fulfill a key role in restoring security and peace,” Peres said.
