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Kremlin says Russia, Israel keeping up credible and friendly dialogue

The Russian president is keeping in touch with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and they have agreed to continue contacts

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov refrained from commenting on reports alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for the remarks made by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Adolf Hitler’s Jewish origins.

On Friday, reporters reminded the Kremlin spokesman that the Israeli Prime Minister’s office mentioned Putin’s apologies in a statement published after a phone call between the two leaders, while the Kremlin said nothing in its statement.

"The conversation was, indeed, a very important one, but we have nothing to add to what we put in our statement in written form after the contact," the spokesman said.

Russia has been keeping up "a credible and friendly dialogue with Israeli friends," Peskov stressed. "[Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] is keeping in touch with Mr. [Israeli Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett, and they have agreed to continue contacts," he added.

During a live interview with Italy’s Rete 4 television channel on Sunday, Lavrov reiterated Russia’s fundamental positions on the situation in Ukraine. With US support, Kiev is refusing to continue the negotiations with Russia, he said. The Russian top diplomat also commented on statements by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky who said Nazification cannot exist in his country since its leader is Jewish. Lavrov said he could be wrong, but that Hitler "had Jewish blood," too. His remarks have reverberated in Israel and a number of countries.

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Foreign policy Israel

Military operation in Ukraine

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