Ehud Olmert, currently visiting Moscow, said after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel's representatives are maintaining close contacts with representatives of PNA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Putin said the conflicting sides in the Middle East must put an end to their mutual accusations, release their hostages and resume talks in order to "break out of the cycle of violence" in the region.
The Quartet of negotiators on the Middle East conflict has previously listed three conditions that the sides in the conflict must fulfill -- an end to violence, recognition of Israel's right to exist, and the resumption of the roadmap peace plan.
Olmert also said that Israel cannot afford to allow Iran, whose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly called for the destruction of the Jewish state, to have nuclear and other non-conventional weapons.
Russia, which is building a nuclear power plant at Bushehr, 250 miles southwest of Tehran, under a $1 billion contract signed in 1995, has long opposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
"Russia is ready to do everything it can to help resolve the situation," Putin reassured the Israeli PM.
Putin also praised "the new quality" of cooperation between Russia and Israel, whose diplomatic relations were restored 15 years ago, and highlighted the growth of bilateral trade, which is expected to reach $2 billion this year.
"We maintain contacts on political issues and expanding relations in such sensitive fields as military and technical cooperation, including in third-country markets," Putin said.
