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Russian and Israeli FMs mull Ukraine-UPDATED

03 January 2023 18:33 (UTC +04:00)

Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine held a telephone conversation, APA's Moscow correspondent reports.

Sergey Lavrov expressed his readiness to work together to strengthen bilateral cooperation during a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen.

"Lavrov reported on the situation in Ukraine against the background of Russia's special operation and also announced his readiness to help restart the peace process with Palestine," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

*** 17:42

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's held a conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, APA reports citing his Twitter account.

Lavrov called Cohen to congratulate him on his inauguration, according to a statement. The ministers discussed a series of bilateral and regional issues, and Cohen referred extensively to the Jewish community in Russia and ex-Soviet expatriates in Israel and their importance to relations between the countries.

On Monday, Cohen said that the new Israeli government would "talk less in public" when it comes to Ukraine and continue humanitarian aid to the country during the ongoing war.

During his inaugural speech, he also announced his intentions to speak with Lavrov, prompting backlash from several Israeli partners.

U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham - a vocal supporter of the Jewish state - criticized Cohen's intentions in a tweet, saying, "the idea that Israel should speak less about Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine is a bit unnerving."