Surprising meeting in Russia: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (49) flew on Saturday to talk to Kremlin despot Vladimir Putin (69)! And: Immediately afterwards he made his way to Berlin to see Chancellor Olaf Scholz (63).
“The focus of the 90-minute conversation was the results of the conversation that the Prime Minister had with Putin in Moscow on Saturday,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Sunday night.
We want to keep in touch on the matter. The common goal remains to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible,” the statement said. “We will work on that with all our might.”
The Israeli media only found out about Bennett’s Moscow flight in the evening and spoke of a “secret trip”. Shortly thereafter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke of Bennett’s short working visit to Moscow, saying only: “The situation around Ukraine was discussed”. There will be no Kremlin communication on this.
Photo: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV JACK GUEZ/AFP
” data-zoom-src=”https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/haben-sich-am-samstag-sehen-israels-premier-naftali-bennett-49-und-kreml-despot-vladimir-putin- -c2cc9e53f53a414e8c78f1d8ded0133d-79364470/image/1.image.jpg”/> Saw each other on Saturday: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (49) and Kremlin despot Vladimir Putin (69)Photo: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV JACK GUEZ/AFP
Can Israel mediate in the war?
A little more was learned from Bennett’s office: they said the meeting lasted two and a half hours and that Israel’s prime minister flew to Moscow in the early hours of the morning – a sign that it must have been very important! Because according to his religious beliefs, he is only allowed to travel on a Saturday, the Jewish Shabbat, if it is about saving human lives.
Bennett has coordinated with the US, Germany and France and is “in constant communication with Ukraine”. According to sources in Jerusalem, Bennett also called Volodymyr Zelenskyy after meeting Putin. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian President also called US President Joe Biden on Sunday night.
︎ Bennett was accompanied by his Housing Minister Seev Elkin, who comes from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv – his brother and other relatives still live there today. Elkin speaks Russian and is considered a Putin expert and has often been to the Kremlin boss with Bennett’s predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu.
︎ The “Jerusalem Post” also wrote, citing Israeli government officials, that the USA, Germany and France were privy to the Bennett trip and supported it.
︎ Later, the next hammer: Bennett was on his way to Berlin to see Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The two only met on Wednesday in Jerusalem. Details of their new meeting were not known on Saturday evening.
Will Israel mediate between Russia and Ukraine?
This possibility is already being discussed: According to media reports, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (44) asked Bennett a week ago to host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Israel.
If that is a good idea? Some commentators in Israel fear that if mediation fails, their country will end up being made a scapegoat…
Ukraine Prime Minister Selenskyj is already disappointed in Israel because Prime Minister Bennett apparently turned down a request for arms deliveries. On Saturday, too, Putin will probably have asked Israel not to send weapons to the Ukrainians.
However, starting next week, Israel will send a field hospital and medical teams to Ukraine to treat refugees on the ground. And: It has already taken in refugees.
So far, Israel has been seen as a country with good relations with both Ukraine and Russia – although this image hides the fact that the Jewish state simply depends on the goodwill of the Kremlin ruler for vital matters:
︎ Putin has been in Syria with his army since 2015, where his puppet Bashar al-Assad is in power. Nevertheless, he allows Israel to attack Hezbollah positions in Lebanon – even though the terrorist militia is fighting for Iran and Assad.
︎ Perhaps even more important for Israel: Russia is sitting at the table in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, and they are currently ongoing – even after Putin’s Ukraine attack! In principle, Russia is in favor of Iran getting the nuclear bomb and would like to supply the necessary equipment itself.
According to information from Kyiv, new negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are only planned for next Monday, as the head of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamija, wrote on Facebook on Saturday evening. Russia did not confirm this.