Russia's chief rabbi: Putin determined to use all his leverage for releasing Gaza hostages

MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to use all of his leverage to secure the release of the hostages in the Middle East, Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar said following a meeting with Putin.

"The president has said unambiguously that he is determined to use all of his influence and all his connections to resolve the problem of the hostages in the near future," Lazar told journalists on Thursday.

He said the two also discussed the release of Alexander Trufanov, who is still being held hostage. "The president is keeping his finger on the pulse of this. He has all information on the hostages who have Russian citizenship. There are three of them, and Alexander Trufanov is only one of them," he said.

In assessing the development of Jewish life in Russia over the past quarter century, Rabbi Lazar praised the president's efforts in this area. In his view, over the past 25 years, the situation "has changed radically," and there is "zero tolerance" for anti-Semitism in Russia now, "unlike in European Union countries," he said.