Netanyahu thanks Putin for helping secure release of Russian-Israeli hostages
Phone conversation marks annual celebration of Nazi defeat, with leaders emphasizing Soviet role in World War II victory
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone Tuesday ahead of Victory in Europe Day, the two leaders said, in a call that covered “regional developments” and celebrated the role of the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
Netanyahu also thanked the Russian leader for his help in securing the release of Sasha Troufanov from captivity in Gaza in February, The Times of Israel has learned. He also provided Putin with an overview of Israel’s ongoing efforts to release the remaining hostages.
During the call, the two leaders “exchanged warm greetings on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II,” the Israeli readout of the call said.
Israel, like Russia and some former Soviet states, marks VE Day on May 9, while most European countries commemorate it a day prior.
“The prime minister emphasized the decisive contribution of the Red Army to the victory over the Nazis, and emphasized the importance of the many Jewish commanders and fighters in the war,” the readout added.
The Russian readout of the call, meanwhile, highlighted Putin’s denunciation of attempts to “revise” World War II history.
“It was noted that the two countries were determined to defend the truth about the events of World War II, to counter attempts to revise its outcome and falsify history,” the Kremlin said.
US President Donald Trump asserted last week that the United States contributed the most to the allied victory in World War II — claims that drew ire in Russia.
“The memory of the heroes of the war, those who gave their lives for the Victory, is sacred in both Russia and Israel, where May 9 is also a public holiday,” the Kremlin said.
Putin also asked Netanyahu to pass along his greetings to Israeli veterans in honor of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Kremlin said.
The two leaders were also said to have discussed “various aspects of the situation in the Middle East,” as well as “current issues in bilateral relations.”
Russia has ties to all key players in the Middle East, including Israel, Iran and Lebanon, as well as the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
It has leveraged its ties with the terror group on several occasions in order to secure the release of hostages with Russian citizenship who were abducted on October 7, 2023.
In November 2023, the Gazan terror group released hostages Elena Troufanov, Irena Tati, and Sapir Cohen as a gesture to Putin, and in February 2025, freed Troufanov’s son Sasha, as well.
They met last month with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, where the Russian president credited his country’s “stable long-term relations with the Palestinian people” for securing their freedom.
The Kremlin has also been involved in efforts to secure the release of Maxim Herkin, an Israeli hostage from the Donbas area of Ukraine who has Russian relatives.
The call came ahead of VE day on Friday, when Putin will address a grand military parade in Moscow to mark what the country calls Victory Day over Nazi Germany.
World War II, officially remembered in Russia as the “Great Patriotic War,” had a devastating impact on the Soviet Union, resulting in more than 20 million civilian and military deaths.
More than six million Jews were exterminated by the Nazis in the Holocaust.
Throughout his rule, Putin has tapped into the national trauma of the war, making May 9 Russia’s most important public holiday and championing his army as defenders against fascism.
Putin has also repeatedly claimed that Russia is fighting a “Nazi regime” in Ukraine, and used it as a pretext for his three-year offensive that has killed tens of thousands.
Relations between Israel and Russia have grown somewhat strained in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault, with Moscow regularly criticizing the war in Gaza.
Nevertheless, Israel has continued to offer only modest support for Kyiv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and in February joined the US in voting against a UN motion calling to reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The Times of Israel Community.