Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to his host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they prepare to deliver joint statements after their meeting and a lunch in the Israeli leader’s Jerusalem residence, Monday, June 25, 2012. The West’s standoff with Iran over its nuclear program was expected to top the agenda on Monday as Russian President Vladimir Putin began a 24-hour visit to Israel. (AP Photo/Jim Hollander, Pool)

“Visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday evening that his country ‘has a national interest in guaranteeing peace and tranquility for Israel,’” reports Israel’s Ynet News. “Putin’s comments were made in a meeting with Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, after Israel’s president asked the visiting leader to speak out on the Iran issue….” Is Putin telling the truth? Why then is he arming the mullahs in Iran and standing with the brutal dictatorship in Damascus?

* Peres to Putin: Israel knows Russia will prevent Iran from getting nuclear arms

* Syria official says Damascus did not know downed warplane was Turkish