Russian President Vladimir Putin has not discussed the question of extraditing exiled "oligarchs" from Israel during his visit to the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today.
Several of Russia's former business elite are in exile in Israel, including erstwhile media magnate Vladimir Gusinsky and top shareholders in the stricken YUKOS oil firm, such as Leonid Nevzlin, who is accused of ordering contract killings.
"This issue didn't even come up," Mr Lavrov told reporters after Putin's talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Commentators had said Mr Putin was likely to raise the issue of extradition, which could have proved contentious in a trip that has so far focused on Middle East politics.
Many of the richest Russians made fortunes during the economic anarchy of the 1990s, using murky privatisations to grab billions of dollars in oil and mineral assets.
After Mr Putin rose to power in 2000 on a promise of returning stability to Russia, legal suits were brought against several billionaires and the political influence of the business elite shrank, although some tycoons remained in the Kremlin's favour.
But the trial of the top "oligarch", YUKOS founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has sparked international criticism, with the case widely seen as an attempt to destroy the tycoon's empire to prevent him from realising his ambitions in politics.
Just before Putin's trip, the judge in the Khodorkovsky case postponed her verdict. He is widely expected to be found guilty of fraud and tax evasion and could serve 10 years.