Russia-Ukraine war: Israeli PM Bennett meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow, offers to mediate

In a major development amid the ongoing Ukraine war, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday met Russian President Vladimir Putin. Notably, both leaders are discussing the ongoing situation in Ukraine and as per reports, Israel has also offered to mediate in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This comes as Russia continues its unprovoked aggression upon Ukraine, targeting even civilians in the country. 

"Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday to discuss the Ukraine crisis," his spokesperson said 

Even as Bennett has met Putin in Kremlin and offered to mediate in the ongoing crisis, officials have previously played down the expectations of a breakthrough. Earlier on Thursday, Naftali Bennett called for world powers to "act rapidly" to resume talks between Russia and Ukraine to avoid "untold loss of life." During his address at the CyberTech 2022 Conference in Tel Aviv, the Israeli prime minister condemned the war and warned that if world leaders do not act fast, "it can get much worse". 

"It's the responsibility of the major players in the world to act rapidly and to get the two sides out of the battlefield and to the negotiating table," Bennett avered 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy too had approached Bennett to mediate discussions in Jerusalem in an attempt to resolve the Russia-Ukraine War. However, Bennett's office declined to comment on the development. Nevertheless, he spoke to Putin hours after his conversation with Zelenskyy. In addition, Israel also joined 140 other nations in voting in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution opposing the Russian invasion on Wednesday.

Third round of Russia - Ukraine talks on March 7 

Meanwhile, the third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is likely to take place on March 7, the Ukrainian media reported quoting the official of the President of Ukraine. In the second round of talks, both countries agreed to create safe corridors for civilians to exit besieged cities and observed a temporary ceasefire in areas where they will be created.