Russian President Vladimir Putin told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday that Russia was still ready to provide a safe passage for civilians from the besieged Azovstal steel works in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, according to a Kremlin statement.

It said Putin in a telephonic conversation with Bennett also said that Kyiv should order Ukrainian troops holding out in the vast Azovstal plant to lay down their weapons.

The commander of the Ukrainian forces has in social media posts stated that his troops are running out of ammunition and food but the top authorities in Kyiv have ordered him to stay put in his position.

 Some civilians have made it to safety through humanitarian corridors allowed by the Russian forces but there are more still inside.

The Kremlin has denied that Russian forces were storming the plant, referring to an April 21 order from Putin that they should seal it off but not venture inside its huge network of underground tunnels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with the Independence Day of Israel, celebrated on May 5, the Kremlin’s press office said.

The Kremlin statement also said that both leaders "expressed mutual interest in the future development of the Russian-Israeli ties and further support of useful contacts between the authorities of two countries."

The two leaders were looking forward to the May 9 anniversary when Russia celebrates the World War Two victory over Nazi Germany. The leaders "emphasized the special significance of this date for the peoples of both countries, who carefully preserve the historical truth about the events of those years and honour the memory of all the fallen, including victims of the Holocaust," the statement added.

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