The Kremlin says Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has offered to help broker an end to fighting in Ukraine. The Kremlin said Bennett told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call on Sunday that Israel is ready to play mediator.
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The Kremlin said Putin told Bennet that Russia has sent a delegation to Gomel in southern Belarus to conduct peace talks with Ukrainian officials, who have refused to come. According to the report, The Kremlin sees the Ukrainian stance as a missed opportunity. Ukrainian officials described the Russian move as a "manipulation," noting that Ukraine hasn't agreed to hold talks in Belarus.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the country's readiness for peace talks but said that they can't be held in Moscow's ally Belarus, which has allowed Russia to use its territory as a staging ground for the invasion that began Thursday. An Israeli official said Bennett told Putin Israel was ready to help in any way to resolve Ukraine crisis in light of its special position as a country that has good relations with both sides.
Bennett told Putin that he was worried that the situation in Ukraine could take a severe humanitarian toll.
Bennett had earlier left the cabinet's weekly meeting in order to conduct the call, and only upon returning did he let it be known that he had spoken with Putin. The call lasted about 40 minutes.
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