Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will on Wednesday travel from Washington, where he is currently attending the announcement of President Donald Trump's peace plan, to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is expected to return to Israel with Naama Issachar, the 26-year-old Israeli-American woman jailed in Russia on drug charges.
The Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu would "update President Putin on diplomatic developments and the 'deal of the century.'"
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday
Issachar was detained at a Moscow airport in April last year carrying 9.5 grams of marijuana, which she said she did not realize was in her luggage. She was sentenced to 7.5 years in jail and her appeal in December against her sentence was rejected.
Netanyahu asked Putin last week to pardon the 26-year-old amid a public campaign seeking her release. Putin told Issachar's mother, Yaffa, during his visit to Jerusalem last week that "everything will be alright."
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Yaffa Issachar meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem last week
(Photo: Reuters)
Putin met Yaffa Issachar on his visit to Israel, where he attended an event marking 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu will brief Putin on regional matters as well as the details of the Trump plan when they meet on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for multilateral efforts in helping negotiate peace in the Middle East.
Lavrov added that it is essential to listen to the Palestinians' position. He says it's also important for the Arab League, which has presented its own peace initiative, to weigh in.