On May 14th Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu met with Russian President Valdimir Putin in Sochi. Many Israeli analysts call this visit an extraordinary one. It seems like no other word is appropriate.
Netanyahu's visit to Russia came right after his visit to China and in the midst of a vehement budget debate. Moreover, May 14th was a Jewish holiday and the prime minister was expected to abstain from work.
In addition to that, such visits are normally planned for many months. It means that the decision to meet with Putin was probably made by Netanyahu a couple of days before the visit itself. All that makes this visit truly extraordinary.
It also seems that the talks were productive and quite informal. One should also note that Putin and Netanyahu are on good terms and their relations are believed to be informal.
Many believe that the aim of Netanyahu's visit was to pursue the Russian leader not to sell S-300 anti-aircraft systems to the Assad regime. Such a deal would strengthen the Syrian regime and prevent a US and NATO intervention into Syria. These systems can also be used as offensive weapons and would probably threaten Israel.
It's clear that the agreement reached at this meeting will remain a secret for a long time, but it seems like Netanyahu succeeded and persuaded Vladimir Putin not to deliver arms to Syria. It doesn't mean that Russia will cancel its deal with Bashar Assad at once, but it will probably suspend it.
Pyotr Lyukimson reporting from Israel. Exclusively to VK
