Russia-Ukraine war: Israel to help Europe with gas, announces PM Naftali Bennett

Israel is set to help Europe in obtaining gas from sources other than Russia after Moscow began its offensive in Ukraine. The development has been announced by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during his joint statement with Italian counterpart Mario Draghi, ANSA reported. After his meeting with Draghi in Jerusalem, Bennett said that Israel will help Europe in producing natural gas.

In his statement, Mario Draghi said that Italy will continue to work for a ceasefire at the earliest. He stressed that the peace negotiations should be based on the terms that will be acceptable to Ukraine. He highlighted that Italy will continue to support Ukraine and its intention of becoming part of Europe. Italian PM Mario Draghi said that he discussed Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports with Israeli counterpart Bennett. Draghi emphasised that Moscow's blockade has prevented the Ukrainian grain exports and called for making efforts to ensure safe corridors for the passage of Ukrainian grain. 

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the war in Ukraine and the ways to handle the global food crisis. In addition, the two leaders discussed possible cooperation in energy, "especially in light of the potential for exporting natural gas to Europe through Egypt," according to the statement released by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister.

Israeli PM Naftali Bennett announced that he and his Italian counterpart have agreed to hold a Government Meeting (G2G) in Israel "soon." Bennett stressed that Europe requires energy at the earliest and Israel is equipped with natural gas in "economic waters." He added, "We talked about the cooperation required to bring Israel's natural gas to Europe as well." It is pertinent to mention here that EU nations have been imposing sanctions against Russia after it launched an offensive in Ukraine. Several EU nations have been making efforts to reduce dependency on Russian energy. 

EU Commission President holds meeting with Israeli FM

Meanwhile, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Israel on June 13. Taking to her official Twitter handle, Ursula von der Leyen said, "My visit will focus on energy & food security, stepping up cooperation on research, health & climate. We’ll also discuss the regional situation & efforts to build the secure Middle East." During her visit to Israel, Leyen held a meeting with Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yair Lapid. She stressed that the EU and Israel will work on enhancing bilateral ties and political ties. In addition, they will work on addressing issues, including the impacts of the Russian military offensive on food security and energy supply.