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Putin, Netanyahu Discuss Iran Nuclear Agreement
(Moscow Times-Russia) Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber - Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin on Wednesday to discuss Israel's disapproval of a potential international nuclear agreement with Iran. Netanyahu decided to take his concerns to Putin in a bid to secure tougher terms. But Putin may be a hard sell, as Russia - which built Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant - has generally been less suspicious of Iran's nuclear ambitions. Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Moscow-based Institute of the Middle East, said the chances of Putin being moved by Netanyahu's outreach were slim, although "it is 100% certain that Putin will listen to Netanyahu and even tell him he agrees with him." Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu were in Cairo to discuss the expansion of Russo-Egyptian defense cooperation. But according to Satanovsky, "Russia has no real interest in the Middle East." "Russian trade with the Arab world is a quarter of what it is with Finland. But in the end, it is better that profit goes into your pocket rather than into your friend's."