Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in the Kremlin. This is a rare diplomatic moment in a war now in its second week, according to Israeli and Russian officials.
“The situation around Ukraine is being discussed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to RIA Novosti, a state-controlled news site.
The meeting comes at a critical moment in the war, with Russian troops encircling major cities and Ukraine teetering on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Russian and Ukrainian diplomats are continuing bilateral talks, but several diplomatic initiatives by third parties, including efforts by French President Emmanuel Macron, have stalled.
Israel is in a unique position to potentially strike a deal or at least pass messages between Western allies, Russia and Ukraine, given its alliance with the United States, its quiet cooperation with Russia in Syria, and shared cultural ties with Ukraine. Mr. Bennett and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are the only two Jews in the world to head national governments.
Mr. Bennett’s office said in a statement Saturday night that the meeting with Mr. Putin lasted about three hours and took place “with the consent and blessing of the US administration.” In addition, the statement added, Mr. Bennet worked in coordination with Germany and France and “had an ongoing dialogue with Ukraine.”
There was no information about the results of the meeting. A spokeswoman for Mr. Bennett said he spoke with Mr. Zelensky after his meeting with Mr. Putin.
The Israeli government has tried to maintain good relations with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders during the current crisis, and Mr. Zelensky had previously asked Mr. Bennett to mediate between the parties.
Mr. Bennett left Moscow on Saturday evening on his way to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Mr. Scholz made a short visit to Israel this week and met with Mr. Bennett to discuss Israel’s possible role in mediating between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr. Bennet spoke by phone with Mr. Putin on Wednesday, hours after his call with Mr. Zelensky, the latest in several rounds of phone calls between them.
As a sign of the urgency of the mission, Mr. Bennet, an observant Jew, left Israel on Saturday morning, during the Sabbath, in violation of the religious travel ban. According to Jewish religious law, the holiness of the Sabbath is more important than the principle of preserving human life.
Mr. Bennett was accompanied by Ze’ev Elkin, Israel’s housing minister, who helped with the translation, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. Over the past decade, Mr. Elkin has frequently appeared in this capacity at meetings between Mr. Bennett’s predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Mr. Putin.
Mr. Elkin, who is also a religious Jew, was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, in 1971, when he was part of the Soviet Union, and emigrated to Israel in 1990. Mr. Elkin has a brother who still lives with his family in Kharkov. where Russian and Ukrainian forces battle for control.
The Israeli delegation also included national security adviser Eyal Hulata, his diplomatic adviser Shimrit Meir and his press secretary Matan Sidi.
Mr. Bennett has come under fire in recent days, including from Mr. Zelenskiy, for not more vehemently siding with Ukraine and for refraining from supplying it with any military hardware.
Israeli officials have said Israel needs to maintain good relations with Russia in order to be able to continue Israel’s military campaign against Iranian and Hezbollah trenches in Syria, where Russia maintains a significant presence.
They said Israel was also concerned about the large Jewish communities in both Russia and Ukraine. After Saturday’s Kremlin meeting, Mr. Bennett’s office said he also spoke with Mr. Putin about the plight of Israelis and Jewish communities as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.
Saturday’s meeting came after several calls from Mr. Zelenskiy to Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Bennett to mediate between him and Mr. Putin. The latest request was made in a February 25 phone call, during which Mr. Zelenskiy also requested military equipment. Refusing to send protective gear, Mr. Bennett agreed to try and mediate between the countries.
This was followed by several rounds of telephone conversations between Mr. Bennett and Mr. Putin, between Mr. Bennett and Mr. Zelensky, and between officials from their teams. Israeli officials believe that Israeli mediation had some influence in Ukraine agreeing to talks with Russia in Belarus.
Mr. Khulata, Israel’s National Security Adviser, briefed the White House National Security Council on developments following the phone call with Mr. Zelensky.
Israeli officials said the Kremlin meeting also touched on progress in negotiations in Vienna to return to a nuclear deal with Iran, and that Mr. Bennett expressed Israel’s opposition to a return to an agreement.