At their meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to expand and deepen the dialogue between them on both the Iranian nuclear issue and the activity against Iran in Syria.
This is what Israel Today learned from sources that were updated in the contents of the meeting.
Russia does not approve of the development of Iran's military nuclear capabilities, and the Russian president has expressed concern about the enrichment of uranium to a high level by it, as has been done in recent months.
The two had a very long and detailed discussion on these two issues, as well as on other topics.
The prime minister's entourage feared Putin's reaction when he met with a new Israeli leader other than Benjamin Netanyahu.
A crucial moment was related to the presence of Prime Minister Bennett and Minister Zeev Elkin, who translated between the two, Sabbath-keepers.
The Russian president asked at the beginning of the conversation to quickly go over the various issues, and said that he does so because he is aware of the short schedule.
He later asked Bennett if he was interested in an expedited meeting because of the urgency to return to Israel or if it was possible to extend.
"A warm and positive meeting"
As planned in advance, Bennett replied that the extraction of the hearing was more important and that he was preparing for the possibility of staying on Saturday in Sochi.
The Russian president appreciated the answer, and the two did hold in-depth discussions on all the issues on the agenda.
The meeting between the two lasted about five hours. "The meeting was warm, positive, and dealt with a number of significant issues in relations between the two countries," said Prime Minister Zeev Elkin. , The two also dealt with Iran's nuclear program, and the prime minister presented "the shortcomings of the agreement and its conception of halting Iran's establishment in Syria."
At the end of the meeting that took place on Friday between the two leaders, they went out to talk on the residence porch and then walked together along the paths of the compound, towards the beach.
Bennett thanked Putin at the beginning of the meeting for the warm welcome, emphasizing that "relations with Russia are very special, both because of the past and because of the present and the future. We will also talk about the situation in Syria and efforts to halt the Iranian military nuclear program. We see you as a true friend of the Jewish people." .
On the other hand, Putin stressed that Russia "is making efforts to rebuild infrastructure in Syria. There are problematic issues to discuss. Relations between the countries are special."
During Saturday, Prime Minister Bennett did not leave the hotel where he was staying due to opposition from the security unit.
With the help of the Chabad House, a Torah scroll was brought to him, and together with Minister Elkin and the entourage, they held a Shabbat reception and prayers. Bennett even said a Torah word at the Shabbat meal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Minister Zeev ElkinPhoto: Kobi Gideon / GPO