Putin calls for ‘strengthening Russian-Israeli cooperation in all fields’ in a message to Netanyahu as the new Israeli prime minister.
The Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as head of Israel’s far-right government and signaled his intention to strengthen cooperation.
Putin said in a message to a statement conveyed by Netanyahu on Thursday.
“In Russia, we highly appreciate your personal and long-term contribution to strengthening friendly relations between our countries,” Putin said.
Netanyahu, 73, was sworn in on Thursday, moments after Israel’s parliament passed a vote of confidence in his new government.
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, Israel adopted a cautious stance toward Moscow, seeking to maintain neutrality.
Israel particularly emphasized the special relations between the two countries as Israel is now home to more than a million citizens of the former Soviet Union.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was “ready for constructive cooperation” with Israel “to clear the atmosphere in the Middle East and the international scene in general”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also wished Netanyahu “success on his path to the well-being and security of Israel” on Twitter.
He spoke of “Ukraine’s readiness for close cooperation to strengthen our ties, meet common challenges, achieve prosperity and triumph over evil.”
Israel did not supply weapons to Ukraine, despite Zelensky’s repeated requests.
United States President Joe Biden on Thursday called Netanyahu his “friend of decades” and said he looked forward to working with him to “jointly address the many challenges and opportunities facing Israel and the Middle East region, including threats from Iran.”
But Biden warned that the United States “will continue to support the two-state solution and oppose policies that endanger its viability or run counter to our shared interests and values.”
