President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday proposed holding talks between Ukraine and Russia on ending the war in Jerusalem.
The Ukrainian leader also told the media that he believes Israel can provide security guarantees for his country and expressed hope that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will have a positive impact on the talks.
Zelensky spoke at a special briefing for journalists from Kyiv under heavy guard.
“In general, we support any mediation,” he said, when asked about Israel’s potential role. “But I wouldn’t call Prime Minister Bennett ‘someone’. You can play an important role because Israel is a country with a rich history.”
Zelensky added that among the founders of Israel were Ukrainian immigrants “who brought with them their history and their desire to build the great country that it is now. So it’s not bad for us to have such mediation.”
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He said he told Bennett that he did not believe negotiations could take place in Russia, Ukraine or Belarus.
“These are not the places where we can come to any agreements to end the war – I’m not talking about technical meetings, but meetings of leaders. I believe that such a place can be Israel, especially Jerusalem. I think so, and I said that to Bennett.
Zelenskiy said his government estimates that about 1,300 Ukrainian servicemen have died in combat so far. He insisted that Russian losses were much higher.
He also said that Russia “will only conquer Kyiv if they kill all of us. They will have to live in a world without us. They cannot find friends among Ukrainians.”
Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky. (Embassy of Israel in Ukraine)
Speaking to Channel 12 news, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky, who has temporarily returned to Israel, said of Zelensky’s remarks: “The idea of holding a summit in Jerusalem has already been raised before. If it can contribute, I think we should certainly agree and move forward with this idea.
Brodsky added: “The question is not where, but what. If we get to the “what”, then, of course, there may be a meeting in Jerusalem. The meeting could be anywhere, but Jerusalem has a symbolic meaning, and I think President Zelensky has that meaning in mind.”
When asked how significant the city is in this context, Brodsky replied: “As a city of all faiths. A city where people and people of different faiths coexist. A city that is equally important for Ukrainians and Russians.”
Earlier in the day, Zelenskiy’s top adviser denied reports that Israel had pushed the Ukrainian leader to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal that Kyiv would make significant concessions to end the Russian invasion.
This combination of file images created on March 6, 2022 by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (left), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (center) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Various sources/AFP)
Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that Bennett did not urge Ukraine to go along with Russia’s demands, two Hebrew-language outlets reported on Friday.
Bennett, Podolyak wrote, “like other conditional mediating countries, does NOT offer Ukraine to agree to any demands of the Russian Federation.
“This is not possible for military and political reasons,” he added.
Podolyak said that Israel called on Russia to “appraise events more adequately.”
Israel is making diplomatic efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine. Last Saturday, Bennett traveled to Moscow for an hours-long meeting with Putin. He was the first foreign leader to meet with a Russian president since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
PM????????? @naftalibennett, like other conditional mediator countries, does NOT offer Ukraine to agree to any requirements of the Russian Federation. This is not possible for military and political reasons. On the contrary, Israel calls on Russia to assess events more adequately.
— Mikhailo Podolyak (@Podolyak_M) March 12, 2022
News sites Haaretz and Walla did not elaborate on Friday on the details of Putin’s proposal, which was reportedly relayed by Bennett, but previous reports by Walla said the Russian leader is demanding an independent Donbass region but is not seeking regime change in Ukraine. .
Other reports said the plan Bennett presented to Zelensky included recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea, recognizing Donetsk and Luhansk as separate entities, and changing Ukraine’s constitution to exclude NATO membership.
“Bennett suggested that we surrender,” an unnamed senior Ukrainian official told Israeli news sites on Friday. “We are not going to do this. We know Putin’s proposal is just the beginning.”
The prime minister’s office denied this information. A source in the prime minister’s office said on Friday: “It is doubtful that this is a high-ranking official who is in Ukraine and is on [Bennett’s] call [with Zelensky]since it happened on a private line.”
A PMO source denied that Bennett told Zelensky to accept Putin’s offer “because Israel does not have such an offer.”
“In any case, the Prime Minister does not intend to give Zelensky recommendations or advice on how to proceed at any stage,” Walla’s source said. “The conversation between them was long and positive and included the possibility of a meeting [between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators] in Jerusalem.”
Israel has long had good relations with both Ukraine and Russia and is keen to use its position to reach an agreement as it also attempts to walk a tightrope by maintaining its ties with both countries. But his relationship with Kiev became strained as Bennett avoided directly blaming Russia for the war, although Foreign Minister Yair Lapid did.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk makes a statement to the media about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine in Tel Aviv, March 11, 2022. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
An unnamed Ukrainian official was quoted in Hebrew messages shortly after Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, gave a press conference calling on Israel to abandon its neutrality and openly side with Ukraine. He noted that Bennett was not the only mediator and said that Israel was “afraid” of offending Moscow.
Ukraine has repeatedly demanded more support from Israel since Russia launched its invasion. But Israel has sought to avoid antagonism with Russia, which has a strong presence in Syria, where Israel is fighting against Iranian-linked groups.
According to a Channel 12 report on Friday, Israel has begun considering Ukrainian requests for some protective gear, such as helmets and body armor.
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