Putin tells Netanyahu issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program must be solved through diplomacy

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in separate telephone conversations on Friday, told Iran’s president that Moscow condemned Israel’s actions against Tehran and told Israel’s prime minister that questions around Iran’s nuclear program could only be solved through diplomacy.

A Kremlin statement says Putin told Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia “condemns the actions of Israel taken in violation of the UN Charter” and expressed condolences for those killed.

The statement says Putin, in his conversation with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, “stressed the importance of a return to the process of talks and resolution of all issues concerning Iran’s nuclear program strictly through political and diplomatic means.”

The Kremlin statement said Russia would remain in close contact with both Iran and Israel.