Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has discussed arms control and relations between Moscow and Washington with a delegation from Israel, the Russian Foreign Ministry informs, TASS reports.
Deputy Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Alexander Ben-Zvi heads the Israeli delegation, which is currently on a visit to Moscow.
"The sides have exchanged opinions on a broad agenda, including current issues of Russian-US relations, international security, issues of arms control and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction with special attention paid to the situation in the Middle East," the ministry stated.
Historically, the US has been a key ally of Israel, also playing an important role in Syria, where they control the eastern shore of Euphrates. Meanwhile, the Russian-Israeli relations suffered a blow after the Il-20 aircraft crash.
On September 17, a Russian Il-20 aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea back to the Russian Hmeimim air base in Syria disappeared from radars during an airstrike carried out by four Israeli F-16 fighter jets on targets in the Syrian province of Latakia.
On September 18, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Il-20 aircraft had been accidently downed by Syrian air defenses as the Israeli F-16 jets had been using it as cover.
Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov stated that the Israeli Air Force and those who made the decision to use the Il-20 aircraft as cover were solely to blame for its crash, which claimed the lives of 15 Russian military servicemen.