Kremlin: Putin and Netanyahu ‘reaffirmed determination to upholding the truth’ about WWII

By Nava Freiberg

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6 May 2025, 6:15 pm

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Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) with a bouquet of flowers and then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 30, 2020. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool/AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone today, according to a message on the Kremlin’s telegram account.

The conversation focused on preserving the memory of the defeat of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and “also addressed various aspects of the situation in the Middle East and current issues in bilateral relations,” the Russian readout says.

“The two countries reaffirmed their determination to uphold the truth about the events of the Second World War and to oppose attempts to revise its outcomes or falsify history,” the Kremlin adds.

“They emphasized the decisive contribution of the Red Army and the entire Soviet people to the defeat of Nazism. The memory of the war’s heroes—those who gave their lives for Victory—is held sacred both in Russia and Israel, where May 9 is also a national holiday,” continues the message.

Putin also asked Netanyahu to pass along his greetings to Israeli veterans in honor of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, according to the Kremlin.

There is currently no Israeli readout from the conversation between the leaders.