For the first time in eight years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited Israel and Palestine. The visit went far beyond the traditional Middle Eastern agenda for Russia; regional dynamics were also discussed during the meetings Putin held with Israeli officials.

Paying tribute to the victims of Nazism and all those who died in World War II, Putin formally laid claim for Russia to be positioned as a global peacekeeper. This is the logical outcome of the policy that Moscow has been pursuing in the region, starting with its campaign in Syria but gradually examining opportunities for its own participation in other crises in the Middle East. It was also a very personal and sensitive visit not only for Putin but for many members of the Russian delegation.

“Forgetting the past, disunity in the face of threats can turn into horrifying consequences. We must have the courage not only to say this bluntly but to do everything to protect and defend the world. In my view, an example must be set by the founding countries of the United Nations, the five powers that have a special responsibility to preserve civilization,” Putin said, addressing the World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center.

He immediately proposed to organize a summit of the permanent members of the UN Security Council — Russia, China, the United States, France and Great Britain — “in any country, anywhere in the world” to “search for collective answers to modern challenges and threats.”