Israel’s Barak to make 24-hour visit to Russia

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak was to travel to Moscow late on Sunday for talks with senior officials, his spokesman said.

“Mr. Barak will leave from Tel Aviv Sunday night for a 24-hour working visit in Russia,” Barak Seri told AFP, without providing further details.

Israeli public radio said he would hold talks with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on bilateral issues, including military cooperation.

The talks were expected to touch on combating extreme Islamist groups, Iran’s nuclear programme and Russia’s supplying of arms to both Syria and Iran, the radio said.