Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Moscow was motivated primarily by a desire to show weary voters ahead of Israel’s upcoming election that he is a respected leader on the world stage, an analyst told RT.

The Israeli prime minister met for several hours with President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital on Thursday, but the timing of his visit, rather than the topics of discussion, seemed to interest analysts the most.

Amir Oren, a veteran Israeli journalist and political commentator, said that while Netanyahu likely petitioned Putin on one of his favorite pet issues, Iran’s military presence in Syria, the meeting was clearly held for domestic consumption back home in Israel.

The main point is probably to gain domestic support because [Netanyahu] has consistently tried to portray himself as being, as he said, in a different league than all other political candidates – someone with global stature, who can meet with both the American and Russian presidents, and host the Brazilian president and others.

Whether the diplomatic stunt will give him a boost in the polls ahead of the April 9 election is another matter, noted Oren.

While some might speculate that Putin lent Netanyahu political support by agreeing to the impromptu summit, Oren pointed out that relations between Russia and Israel have almost certainly deteriorated following Washington’s decision to recognize Tel Aviv’s illegal annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights.

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“Putin will insist that Russia, in any peace negotiations, will want Syria to get the Golan back,” the Israeli journalist mused.

Embroiled in a series of corruption scandals, Netanyahu has sought to woo disillusioned voters with his credentials as an international statesman. The prime minister’s warm relationship with US President Donald Trump, who signed a resolution in March recognizing the occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory, has helped him make the case that he can safeguard Israel’s interests abroad.

However, the strategy may not be enough to save the embattled prime minister and his coalition of right-wing parties. Commenting on the upcoming election, Netanyahu recently conceded in an interview that “we’re very close to losing the battle.”

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