Russia-Ukraine war: Israel attempts mediation, Bennett dials Zelenskyy after meeting Putin

Israel, one of the few countries to have good ties with both Russia and Ukraine, is trying to mediate the conflict between both countries.

New Delhi:Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a three-hour-long conversation with the Russian President Vladimir Putin when he met him in Moscow on Saturday. Soon after, the Israel PM also spoke to Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the latest attempt at mediation in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

This comes a week after Israel PM had held two rounds of talks over the phone with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to mediate a conflict that has caused growing civilian casualties and refugees. During Bennett's trip to Moscow, which had the "blessing" of Biden administration, Putin, according to reports, told him that taking into account Moscow's security interests was one of the key conditions for settling the conflict.

The conversation also included talks on the safety of Ukraine’s Jewish population and international talks over Iran’s nuclear program. In the call Bennett made to Zelenskyy right after he met Putin, the duo spoke about Israel continuing its humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and Kyiv's needs. Reports also claim that Zelenskyy once again requested that Israel send Ukraine weapons, and he and Bennett also discussed the bombing of Babi Yar Holocaust memorial site in Kyiv by Russian forces.

Israel is one of the few countries that still has good working relations with both Russia and Ukraine. After meeting Putin, Bennett left Moscow for Berlin, where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Israel has been wary to take sides since Russia's invasion of Ukraine as Putin has near-total control of Syrian airspace. However, on Wednesday, Israel voted in favour of the UN General Assembly's resolution denouncing the Russian assault alongside 140 other states. Bennett’s efforts follow a series of negotiations and letters exchanged between Washington, Moscow and European capitals since December, 2021, when Putin demanded written guarantees that NATO wouldn’t expand eastward and that NATO withdraw troops and missiles from countries that joined the alliance after 1997.