Israel says its prime minister and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Thursday reports international media.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Putin apologized to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for the recent remarks made by Russia's foreign minister that Adolf Hitler had "Jewish origins." It said Bennett accepted Putin's apology.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the claim in an interview with an Italian TV station on Sunday.

He sought to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine by saying it is aimed at "de-Nazifying" Ukraine, even though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish.

Lavrov said when the Ukrainians say, "How can Nazification exist if we're Jewish," he countered by claiming that "Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it means nothing."

On Thursday, the Russian presidential office issued a statement about the two leaders' talks, but did not mention Putin's apology.