Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would consider mediating between Russia and Ukraine if asked by them and the US.
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In an interview with CNN, he said, "If asked by all relevant parties, I'll certainly consider it, but I'm not pushing myself in."
It would have to come at the "right time and the right circumstances," and also with the blessings of the US – "You can't have too many cooks in the kitchen," he said.
This comes as Ukraine and Russia are deadlocked in a war that began last February. Cities throughout Ukraine are still enduring missile attacks, while Ukrainian troops remain embattled with Russia's military in the eastern part of the country.
While the war has been internationally condemned, including by Israel, Jerusalem has stopped short of providing weapons to Ukrainian forces, retaining relations with Russia. Therefore, Israel may be uniquely positioned to help the sides reach a breakthrough and end the deadly conflict.
Netanyahu also told CNN that he received an "unofficial" request last year – at the start of the Russian invasion – for him to mediate, but turned it down because he was not prime minister.
Earlier in January, an advisor for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Netanyahu could be "an effective mediator."
Speaking on Iran, Netanyahu said, "I think the only way that you can stop [Iran] or abstain from getting nuclear weapons is a combination of crippling economic sanctions, but the most important thing, is a credible military threat." When asked about a recent attack on an Iranian military site that foreign media reported was linked to Israel, the prime minister deflected. "I never talk about specific operations… and every time some explosion takes place in the Middle East, Israel is blamed or given responsibility – sometimes we are sometimes we're not."
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