JERUSALEM, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Monday Israel's ties with the United States and Russia after leaders of the latter two countries said they discussed the importance of ensuring Israel's security.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met in Helsinki earlier on Monday for a bilateral talk that lasted more than two hours.
The two leaders said they will work together to ensure the security of Israel. "Creating safety for Israel is something both Putin and I would like to see very much," said Trump.
Netanyahu's office released a statement, saying the prime minister "commends the abiding commitment of the U.S. and President Donald Trump to the security of Israel, as expressed at the meeting." He added that the friendship between Israel and the U.S. "has never been stronger."
"Prime Minister Netanyahu also very much appreciates the security coordination between Israel and Russia and the clear position expressed by President Putin regarding the need to uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria," the statement read.
Over the past months, Netanyahu has been aggressively lobbying world leaders, especially Putin, to convince them to drive Iran out of Syria, Israel's northern neighbor.
Israel and Russia have been coordinating their actions in the war-torn country, including meetings between Netanyahu and Putin in Moscow. The last meeting took place last week.
Israel has repeatedly warned it will not allow Iran to establish a military foothold in Syria, amid accusation of its deadly airstrikes against military sites in Syria.
