Russian President Vladimir Putin is to visit Israel at the end of April — becoming the first Russian or Soviet leader to do so. Putin will arrive in Israel on 27 April for a two-day visit, said Ron Bon-Yishai, an aide to Israeli President Moshe Katsav. During the trip, Putin will meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other senior Israeli officials for talks on advancing Middle East peace talks. Russia is a member of the so-called Quartet of international mediators for the Middle East peacemaking, along with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. It was not clear if Putin would also meet with Palestinian officials.