Netanyahu and Putin talk on the phone

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this afternoon with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation, according to a joint statement released by the two.

The two leaders discussed the Netanyahu’s recent visit to Moscow as well as issues related to cooperation between Israel and Russia, the statement says. Also discussed were issues related to states in the region and the Palestinian Authority.

The visit, at the beginning of June, marked 25 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Russia.

During their meeting in the Kremlin the two leaders discussed a range of bilateral issues, chief among them the so-called deconfliction mechanism set in place last year to ensure Israeli and Russian aircraft do not clash over Syria. The two are also believed to have discussed Russia’s reported delivery of advanced weaponry to Iran, including the S-300 air defense systems.