After his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett traveled to Berlin on Sunday night and met Chancellor Olaf Scholz there. This was announced by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Twitter.
In a statement, it was said that Scholz and Bennett had agreed “to remain in close contact on the matter – the common goal remains to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible.” However, the reason for the short-term visit is likely Bennett’s previous conversation with Putin. Scholz had only visited Bennett in Jerusalem three days ago.
Before arriving in Berlin, Bennett had already spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as he said on Twitter. An Israeli government spokesman confirmed this.
Israeli Prime Minister Bennett surprisingly came to Russia for talks with Putin on Saturday. Bennett is staying in Moscow for a short working visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday evening, according to the Interfax agency. “The situation around Ukraine is being discussed.” However, there will be no Kremlin announcement about the conversation, it said.
[Alle aktuellen Nachrichten zum russischen Angriff auf die Ukraine bekommen Sie mit der Tagesspiegel-App live auf ihr Handy. Hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen]
Bennett’s office also confirmed the visit, saying the meeting lasted two and a half hours. Government circles in Jerusalem said the conversation lasted three hours.
Bennett has coordinated with the US, Germany and France and is “in constant communication with Ukraine”. He also spoke to Putin about the situation of the Israelis and the Jewish communities in view of the conflict.
Israel is being discussed as a mediator in the Ukraine conflict. According to media reports, Ukrainian President Selenskyj Bennett asked a week ago to organize negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Israel.
According to Bennett’s office, the meeting with Putin was attended by Israeli housing minister Seew Elkin, who is helping with the translation. Elkin comes from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and is considered a Putin expert. He had also always attended meetings between Bennett’s predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Putin.
[Alle aktuellen Entwicklungen im Ukraine-Krieg können Sie hier in unserem Newsblog verfolgen.]
Bennett flew to Moscow in the early hours of Saturday morning, following a meeting with Putin on Wednesday, his office also said. As a religious Jew, Bennett is only allowed to travel on the Jewish day of rest, the Sabbath, if it is about saving human life.
More about the war in Ukraine at Tagesspiegel Plus:
Bennett also spoke to Selenskyj on the phone on Wednesday. Selenskyj, himself of Jewish descent, had recently expressed disappointment at what he believed to be the lack of support from Israel. According to media reports, Bennett had refused Selenskyj’s requests for arms deliveries.
Israel has good relations with both countries, but also finds itself in a conflict. It does not want to upset its main ally, the United States, but at the same time depends on Moscow’s goodwill for strategic reasons, including in the conflicts with Syria and Iran. (Tsp, dpa, Reuters, AFP)