Putin and Netanyahu
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speak after delivering their joint statements following a 2012 meeting in Jerusalem Jim Hollander/Pool/Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be travelling to Russia for a quick five-hour visit to meet President Vladimir Putin on Monday, 29 January, both sides have confirmed. The exact agenda for the hastily arranged talks is still unclear but the Syrian situation and Iran's presence in the conflict-torn region are expected to be discussed.

This will be the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since US President Donald Trump announced that the US was formally recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Netanyahu will be at Davos and will meet the American president after which he would head straight to Russia for the discussions with Putin.

The last time the two met was in August in Sochi and they have been in routine touch over the phone.