Putin apologized over FM Lavrov's Nazi comments

In a call with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's assertion that Adolf Hitler had Jewish origins, News.az reports citing Haaretz.

Bennett accepted Putin's apology for Lavrov's remarks and thanked him for clarifying the Russian president's attitude toward the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust, Bennett's office said in a statement.

The two leaders also stressed the importance of May 9 – the day of victory of Nazi Germany – to Israelis and Russians, as well as the memory of victims of war and the Holocaust.

Bennett mentioned the contribution of the Red Army to the victory in the Second World War. During the conversation, he brought up Zelenskyy's request to find a solution to the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where it is estimated that several hundred people are trapped. Putin said that Russia was still ready to provide safe passage for civilians to leave the plant and called on Kyiv to order Ukrainian fighters holed up in Azovstal to put down their weapons.

Putin also sent his congratulations to President Isaac Herzog to mark Israel's Independence Day.

You Might Also Like