Putin apologised for Russian Minister’s controversial remarks on Holocaust, says Israel PM

An Israeli statement said the two leaders spoke by phone Thursday and also discussed plans to evacuate civilians from a besieged steel plant in the port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine.

A statement from Bennett’s office said Putin “promised to allow the evacuation of civilians, including wounded civilians, through a UN and Red Cross humanitarian corridor.”

Bennett spoke to Putin after a call on Wednesday with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the Israeli leader appeared to renew his role as a mediator in the conflict.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sparked outrage in Israel for alleging in an interview that Adolf Hitler may have “had Jewish blood.” pic.twitter.com/iR5zBJGlK3

— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) May 2, 2022

That role was thrown into doubt earlier this week when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested Ukraine could have Nazi elements even though Zelenskyy is Jewish, and then suggested Adolf Hitler had “Jewish origins.”

Israelis expressed shock and outrage at the remarks, which appeared to blame the Holocaust on Jews themselves, and the government summoned Russia’s ambassador in protest.