Putin, Netanyahu discuss West Asia in phone call as Russia attempts to counter US at UNSC

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed developments in Asia in a rare phone call on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the Kremlin confirmed in a joint statement on Saturday. During their telephonic communication, the two leaders focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip.

As per the statement, they had a lengthy discussion over the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by US President Donald Trump, along with the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Apart from this, the two leaders also discussed the status of Iran’s nuclear program and issues related to the further stabilisation of Syria.

In the statement, the Israeli PMO maintained that the phone call was held at the Russian leader’s request. Meanwhile, the Kremlin called the conversation “a thorough exchange of views.”

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Not the first time

It is pertinent to note that the two leaders discussed the developments in the same area last month. At that time, the Russian leader reaffirmed Moscow’s position “in favour of a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue.”

Their conversation last month also tackled the issues surrounding both Syria and Iran. Before this, Putin and Netanyahu spoke on the phone in August. The phone call came at a time when multiple Israeli news outlets reported that Netanyahu’s office had been working closely with Russia in an effort to resolve several different issues.

This included the tension between the US and Russia following Putin’s insistence on continuing the war in Ukraine. The phone call also came after Russia pushed its own draft of a UN resolution on Gaza on Thursday. The move was seen as a challenge to a US effort to pass its own text at the Security Council that would endorse the US-brokered Gaza deal.

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In a note to the UNSC members, Russia’s UN mission said that its “counter-proposal is inspired by the US draft,” Reuters reported. “The objective of our draft is to enable the Security Council to develop a balanced, acceptable, and unified approach toward achieving a sustainable cessation of hostilities,” the note read.

The Russian draft obtained by Reuters called on the UN Secretary-General to identify options for an international stabilisation force for Gaza, and does not mention the “Board of Peace” that the US has proposed as a transitional administration for Gaza.

With inputs from agencies.