Israel’s former ambassador to Ukraine and Russia, Zvi Magen, spoke today (Thursday) with Aryeh Eldad and Roni Bar-On on 103FM about the breakthrough in mediation efforts between the countries amid reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and assessed the likelihood that this would lead to a ceasefire the fighting.
“I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to say that. There is a Turkish announcement from today that Erdogan will offer Zelensky some kind of mediation. Officially, this is at the level of unproven information,” he explained at the beginning of his words.
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When asked if he recognizes a Russian interest in ending the war, he replied: “The Russians are not in a dangerous situation. There are other factors that are delaying the Ukrainians from negotiating, and that is actually the Americans. Putin said he is ready to talk, and there have already been meetings. In the end, it continued without a decision. Russia did not reaches achievements, that’s not why we go to such a war and in fact the war is against NATO and not against Ukraine.”
The former ambassador agreed that the Russians lost more than they gained and, among other things, lost the image of the “Russian bear” that everyone is afraid of. “True. This is the reason for their conditions for negotiations. They must take out in negotiations what they did not achieve on the battlefield.”
He added: “They basically crushed the existing international order, and are trying to promote a new geopolitical reality, and fear them. All the signs show that the US knew about the situation, and they prepared the Ukrainians for war all along. It was with full American backing.”
When asked how many points we lost with Putin that will be reflected in our strategic plan in Syria, he replied: “Israel behaved kindly towards the Russians, Israel did not send weapons to the Ukrainians, and the Russians did not send any to our enemies either.”
Assisted in the preparation of the article: Eden Ben Ari, 103FM