Putin congratulates Netanyahu on forming government; two discuss Ukraine war, Iran
Putin’s call comes almost two months since the Israeli election
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday morning to congratulate him for his victory in becoming Israel’s next premier.
The call was received less than 12 hours after Netanyahu officially informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he succeeded in forming a government coalition.
During the call, Netanyahu affirmed his strong opposition to the Iranian nuclear threat and emphasized his desire to see the end of the Ukraine war.
Netanyahu reportedly told Putin that he is “determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to stop its attempts to establish a military base on [Israel’s] northern border.”
According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, he also told Putin he “hopes that a way will be found as soon as possible to end the war and the suffering caused by it.”
Putin’s call comes almost two months since the Israeli election, even though Netanyahu had already been working to form his coalition.
By comparison, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Netanyahu on his win on Nov. 7, just six days after the election.
Yesterday, in a surprise visit, Zelenskyy landed in Washington to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and to thank American lawmakers for providing military and humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country. This is the first time Zelenskyy has left Ukraine since the war began roughly 300 days ago.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
