Putin to meet mother of Israeli woman jailed in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet the mother of an Israeli-American woman jailed in Moscow over charges of smuggling drugs, Russian and Israeli officials said Wednesday.

An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Xinhua that Yaffa Issachar, mother of Naama Issachar, will join a meeting with the Russian leader during his one-day visit to Israel.

The meeting will include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, said the official.

"The humanitarian aspect of this case will be discussed at the meeting," Putin's foreign affairs adviser told journalists.

The case of the 26-year-old woman has sparked a wide protest in Israel.

The meeting comes amid reports on Russian authorities preparing for her early release.

Netanyahu and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin have officially asked Putin to free her.

Issachar was arrested last April during her transit through a Moscow airport from India to Israel. Russian authorities said 9.6 grams of marijuana were found in her backpack.

In October, she was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Putin is expected to arrive in Jerusalem on Thursday for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi's Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

(CGTN)