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"Jerusalem Summit": Bennett suggested that Putin hold a meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Jerusalem to reduce tensions - Walla! news

2022-01-19T12:42:52.215Z


Ukrainian and Israeli officials said the prime minister had suggested the idea to Putin - which was initiated by Ukrainian President Zalansky - at a meeting in Sochi in October. Netanyahu offered a similar meeting as early as April 2021.


"Jerusalem Summit": Bennett suggested Putin hold a meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Jerusalem to reduce tensions

Ukrainian and Israeli officials said the prime minister had suggested the idea to Putin - which was initiated by Ukrainian President Zalansky - at a meeting in Sochi in October. Netanyahu offered a similar meeting as early as April 2021.

Lightning Ravid

19/01/2022

Wednesday, 19 January, 2022, 14:19 Updated: 14:37

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In the video: Putin, Bennett at the beginning of their meeting in Sochi, Russia (Photo: Reuters)

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin at their meeting in Sochi on October 22 to convene a summit between Russia and Ukraine in Jerusalem as part of an attempt to stem the escalation between the two countries and reduce tensions, Walla!

Ukrainian and Israeli officials.



Bennett's proposal, which originated at the initiative of the Ukrainians, points to the unique place in which Israel is when it comes to the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine.

Israel maintains close and good relations with the two countries, maintains neutrality and maintains a direct dialogue with both the leadership in Russia and the leadership in Ukraine.

This fact allowed Israel to convey messages between the parties to try and prevent a flare-up.



In recent months, tensions between Russia and Ukraine have intensified.

Russia has concentrated large-scale military forces along its border with Ukraine and in recent days has even begun a joint exercise with Belarus near the border between it and Ukraine.

The Biden administration has warned of the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming days.

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Bennett-Putin meeting in Sochi, where the proposal was raised, in October (Photo: Reuters)

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk told Walla that Israeli involvement in the crisis between Russia and Ukraine began about a year ago, precisely against the backdrop of the corona plague. In February 2021, the then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu organized a telephone conversation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalansky and Pfizer CEO Albert Burla. Ukraine urgently needed vaccines and was unable to reach Pfizer. Netanyahu opened the door for the Ukrainians two weeks after the call. A telephone deal was signed between the government in Kiev and Pfizer.



In April last year, the Ukrainian government felt it could take advantage of its close ties with Israel to open a dialogue with Russia. President Zalanski's most senior official, Andrei Yarmak, met with Netanyahu, National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat and other senior Israeli officials.



Yarmak asked Netanyahu if he would be willing to organize a summit between Ukrainian President Zalansky and Russian President Putin in Jerusalem.

An Israeli source said that Netanyahu was not enthusiastic about the idea but said he would be willing to test it if both sides expressed willingness to reach such a summit.

Tried to initiate a similar summit.

Netanyahu (Photo: TPS, Shalom Shalom)

At the end of April 2021, Netanyahu and his advisers discussed with the Kremlin the idea of ​​convening such a summit in Jerusalem. Director Netanyahu discussed the matter with Putin again on the phone. An Israeli source said Putin's response was not positive. The Ukrainian ambassador said that Putin said he would be willing to meet but stressed that he would not be willing to talk about the two most prominent points of contention - the Crimean peninsula that Russia conquered from Ukraine and annexed to it and the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. This was a very negative message for the Ukrainians.



In June, the government in Israel changed and Naftali Bennett was sworn in as prime minister. A few days later, he had already spoken on the phone with both Putin and Zalansky. The Office of the President of Ukraine announced after the conversation that Zalansky had invited Bennett to attend an international conference in Kiev against the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia. Bennett politely dodged.



A few months later in early October, President Yitzhak Herzog visited Kiev.

Ukrainian and Israeli officials said President Zalansky had told Herzog about the mediation efforts Netanyahu had made six months earlier.

Zalansky asked that the new government in Israel renew these efforts.

Update Bennett on Netanyahu's mediation efforts.

Herzog (Photo: Flash 90, Jonathan Zindel)

When Herzog returned to Israel, he updated Prime Minister Bennett on what Mazlansky had heard. Bennett, who was scheduled to fly to a meeting with Putin about two weeks later, decided to try and revive the mediation initiative. The day before his meeting with Putin, he called Zalansky to hear from him directly.



Ukrainian Ambassador Kornichuk said that Zalansky had once again raised with Bennett the idea of ​​a summit between Russia and Ukraine in Jerusalem. He clarified that such a summit does not have to be at the level of heads of state. According to Kornichuk, one of the options was to hold a meeting in Jerusalem between the national security advisers of Russia and Ukraine. The model was a similar summit held in Jerusalem in June 2019 between President Trump's national security adviser John Bolton and his Russian counterpart Nikolai Petroshv.



The next day at a meeting in Sochi Bennett, he presented Putin with the idea of ​​the "Jerusalem Summit" and conveyed the message from Mazlansky.

Ukrainian and Israeli officials said the Russian president was not enthusiastic to say the least and spoke very negatively about Zalansky.

Ukrainian President Zalansky (Photo: Reuters)

In recent weeks, the Israeli government has been trying to maintain maximum silence regarding the escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Blinken has been discussing the issue in recent days with Foreign Minister Lapid and Russian President Putin.

In both cases, the Israeli side remained silent and mainly listened.



"We really like Ukraine but we are not going to be pushed into a confrontation between two powers like the US and Russia.

We have enough problems of our own, "said a senior Israeli official.



Ukrainian Ambassador Kornichuk said his country was still ready to hold a summit with Russia in Jerusalem but stressed that the Russian threat against Ukraine these days is the most serious it has ever been.

"The main lesson we learned is that we should be Israelis - not listen to anyone and be willing to defend ourselves on our own," he said.

An invasion of Ukraine will not be a picnic for the Russians.

Thirty percent of Ukrainians said in polls that they were ready to go out and fight if Russia invaded.

The Russians will suffer heavy casualties. "



The prime minister's office said they did not address closed diplomatic talks. The president's house also declined to comment. Opposition leader Netanyahu's office also said" there is no response. "

None of the three denied the details in the article.

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  • Naftali Bennett

Source: walla

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