President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the Israeli and US leaders had both agreed to keep Russian workers safe at the Bushehr power plant. The reactor on the Persian Gulf is fueled by uranium produced in Russia.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin rejected criticism that Moscow has abandoned its allies in Tehran. He stressed that Russia has close ties with both Iran and Israel, citing the large number of Russian speakers living in Israel and Moscow’s support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
Putin said Russia has proposed “some ideas” for a possible settlement between Iran and Israel that are currently being discussed. He said Moscow asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the security of Russian personnel who are working to construct two more reactors at the nuclear power plant in Iran’s port of Bushehr and that he also raised the issue with US President Donald Trump.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed with that, and President Trump has promised to support our legitimate demands,” Putin said.
But he strongly rejected allegations that Moscow has failed to back its ally, Tehran, saying the Kremlin has maintained good ties with both Iran and Israel. He noted that Israel is home to nearly 2 million people from Russia and other former Soviet nations, “a factor that we always have taken into account.”
At the same time, Putin said, Russia has always met its obligations to Iran, adding that Moscow has firmly backed Tehran’s right for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
He voiced concern about the spiraling conflict, saying we “are strongly worried about what’s going on around the Iranian nuclear facilities and possible consequences.”
