(JTA) — Vladimir Putin clearly likes to talk about Jews and Israel.

This time he suggested that Israel offered a good model for his designs on Ukraine.

The Russian president’s previous remarks about Jews include the joke he told at a panel on energy in 2017, about a smartass Israeli soldier who was quizzed by his commander on how to engage multiple enemies. The soldier’s advice: Send more troops.

In 2019, hearing about the financial challenges of a rabbi in Crimea, Putin joked: “So the Jews have problems with finances!” Then he told the rabbi “Todah rabah,” Hebrew for “than...