Israel has urged the visiting Russian president to step up pressure on Iran to curb its suspect nuclear program but there was no sign of any concessions from Vladimir Putin.
The outcome of the 24-hour visit could have deep implications for whether Israel decides to strike Tehran's nuclear facilities or give the international community more time to find a diplomatic solution to the standoff.
Israel and Russia enjoy deep economic and cultural relations bolstered by the more than one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union who now live in the Jewish state, but Russia has blocked drastic action against Iran and Syria, while Israel has repeatedly hinted it may act militarily to stop Iran's nuclear program.
Putin began his official visit at a ceremony to inaugurate a Soviet Red Army memorial in the coastal city of Netanya, paying tribute to fallen World War II soldiers, including tens of thousands of Jews.
'The memory of the fallen is sacred in my eyes. I am moved that you feel the same thing in Israel,' he said, facing the sculpture of a massive pair of wings on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
President Shimon Peres linked the past to the challenges of the present.
'I am confident that Russia, which defeated fascism, will not allow similar threats today. Not the Iranian threat. And not the bloodshed in Syria,' he said at the ceremony.
At a state dinner, Peres pressed Putin further.
'I ask of you again: raise your voice against a nuclear Iran, against destroying a people. You know well the depth of sensitivity of the Jewish people when we are threatened with destruction,' he said.
Putin only said Russia has a 'national interest' to secure peace and quiet in Israel.
