Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday night, said the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the conversation lasted for more than an hour and “I really enjoy the way Israel ends the fight in Ukraine and the efforts Israel is making on this issue.”
“We talked about the prospects for Russia’s aggression and peace talks. We must stop cracking down on civilians. We were asked to help release the prisoner-of-war mayor of Melitopoli and local public figures,” Zelensky said in a tweet. Stated.
Zelensky earlier proposed to Bennett that the host of Jerusalem would host a ceasefire negotiation between Ukraine and Russia, arguing that Israel could “play an important role” in its efforts to end the war. Later, a phone call came.
Channel 12 quoted an unnamed Israeli government source, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin was considering the proposal, but said that “it is premature to assess its potential.”
The two leaders have spoken many times since the Moscow army invaded the country. Bennett also talked to Putin several times and went to the Kremlin last Saturday to meet him. This is the first leader since the invasion of Russia began.
???????? Continuous dialogue with PM @naftalibennett.. We talked about Russia’s aggression and the outlook for peace talks.We must stop cracking down on civilians: asked to help release the mayor of Melitopol’s prisoners of war and local public figures. #StopRussia
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 12, 2022
The details of Israel’s mediation efforts remain ambiguous. On Saturday, Zelensky’s chief adviser denied reports that Israel had pushed Ukrainian leaders to accept Putin’s offer to see Kyiv make important concessions to end Russia’s invasion.
Israeli authorities have shown that Jerusalem has not submitted a ceasefire proposal, rather Bennett’s role is to place both sides on each other and on other global players, thanks to Israeli goodness. Relations with both countries claiming to be clear.
Mr Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukrainian immigrants were one of the founders of Israel, “bringing their history and their desire to build such a wonderful country as it is now. So we are such an arbitrator. It’s not a bad thing to do. “
“We generally support mediation by anyone,” he said in an answer to a question raised by a Haaretz reporter about the potential role of Israel. Israel is a country with a rich history. “
Mr Zelensky told Bennett that he did not expect negotiations to take place in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Leaders. I believe Israel can be such a place, especially Jerusalem. I think so, and I told Bennett this. “
Recently, there have been many obvious ups and downs in the relationship between Kyiv and Jerusalem, with Ukraine praising Israel’s diplomatic and humanitarian efforts and sometimes strongly criticizing it for its reluctance to further support.
This new example was on Saturday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexi Reznikov warned that a lack of a clear stance on Russia’s aggression could cast a shadow over the relationship between Kyiv and Jerusalem in the coming years.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexi Reznikov arrives at a meeting between delegations from Ukraine and Russia in the Brest region of Belarus on March 3, 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (MaximGuchek / Belta / AFP)
“Israel has shown an unexplained discontinuity and reluctance to choose between the wars in Ukraine,” he said in a video shared on social media.
“This will definitely increase the lack of trust over the years to win with or without you,” he said.
“What can you do? You are very influential in the world and in your area. You can express your position more positively,” he added.
Bennett Zelensky’s call is that the Ukrainian embassy in Israel has appealed to the High Court against Israel’s policy to restrict the entry of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion, a move to international agreements and treaties between nations. It was also done when he claimed to be in violation. Israel was a party and was not created with proper authority.
Ukrainian Israeli Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk spoke at a press conference in Tel Aviv on March 7, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90)
Israel has long had good relations with both Ukraine and Russia and is trying to walk a tightrope while maintaining relations with both countries, so it is trying to use that position to mediate the agreement, but Bennett. Relations with Kib are tense as they avoid it, but Foreign Minister Yale Rapid has blamed Russia directly for the war.
Ukraine has repeatedly sought further support from Israel since Russia began its invasion, but Israel has shown a strong presence in Syria, where Israel is taking military action against groups related to Iran. Trying to avoid hostile to Israel.
According to a report on Friday’s Channel 12, Israel has begun to consider Ukraine’s demands for some defensive equipment such as helmets and flake jackets.
