A Ukrainian official told Axios on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the fighting in Ukraine.
An official from Bennett’s office denied the claim and insisted the Israeli leader didn’t make any recommendations. Bennett has been acting as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine and flew to Moscow to meet with Putin on March 5.
After the Bennett-Putin meeting, Israeli officials said that Putin had put forward a proposal that is difficult for Zelensky to accept but isn’t as extreme as they expected. According to the Israelis, the proposal doesn’t include regime change and allows Ukraine to maintain its sovereignty.
The Ukrainian official said Bennett recommended that Zelensky accept Putin’s offer during a phone call on Tuesday. “Bennett is basically telling us to surrender and we have no intention of doing that,” the official said.
Other Ukrainian officials have been critical of Israel for taking a seemingly neutral position on the war and not sending weapons to Ukraine. The Ukrainian official said Bennett’s diplomacy initiative “looks like an excuse for why he is not speaking out against Russia, not providing weapons to Ukraine and not sanctioning Russia.”
Separately, Ukraine’s ambassador in Israel accused the Israelis of being “afraid” of Russia because it has “a few airplanes and anti-missile systems in Syria.”
Besides Bennett, other world leaders have engaged with Putin, but there’s been no sign that President Biden plans to engage with the Russian leader. Instead of trying diplomacy, the US is ramping up sanctions on Russia and working with NATO allies to flood weapons into Ukraine.
“According to the Israelis, the proposal doesn’t include regime change and allows Ukraine to maintain its sovereignty.”
Technically that was always the case – with the possible exception of the “regime change” issue – depending on what you call “regime change.”
Make no mistake – there will be “regime re-orientation”. There will be a new Constitution – that was always a Russian demand – which by itself is “regime change” by definition. Whether any of the Ukrainian government officials remain in power as a “caretaker” government until new elections can be held or whether they will be replaced by others is unclear.
But clearly Ukraine will continue to exist as Ukraine. The only question is whether Western Ukraine will be part of it or not. I think it will, once the “de-Nazification” part of the Russian program is completed. But it could go either way.
Does Russia want the entire coast?
They intend to take the entire country to the Polish and Transnistria borders. But this won’t be an “occupation”. They will only control the country until the government is “re-oriented” with a new Constitution and new elections, and the Nazis are eliminated. Then they’ll pull out.
What?????
Are you serious!
The sad thing is that de-Nazification would be in the best interest of the people of Ukraine and Zelensky personally, but Zelensky is fighting it tooth and nail, most likely only because of US influence. And maybe because Zelensky fears what the CIA would do to him if he doesn’t support their plan. Maybe Putin should offer Zelensky protective custody.
I wonder if Zelensky is actually negotiating, as opposed to following orders from Washington. There are indications that he is about to pass the baton directly to Washington.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-ready-take-diplomatic-steps-ukraine-will-find-helpful-state-dept-2022-03-12/?fbclid=IwAR0RQvQ1X5Zf405kDaBLDuG7EdrZNHRfiy3fuozPC6dZ9n6FIh7S-EZmCoE
US willing to take steps that would be helpful – helpful to the self serving interests of the US government. Not helpful to saving Ukrainian lives. The US government couldn’t care less about that.
He only “negotiates” when he can get out from under his CIA handlers for a few minutes. Once he’s back under control, he becomes “Churchill”. Not to mention that he’s on cocaine and an actor. Nothing he says is reliable.
“Instead of trying diplomacy, the US is ramping up sanctions on Russia and working with NATO allies to flood weapons into Ukraine.”
Not surprising. Our best export product is war.
Just came out of Afghanistan and we pushed the war in Ukraine, we are also moving and harassing China on the Taiwan issue. Heck, Biden just bragged that we can take two conflicts at once like in the good ol’ days.
But wait, that not all. Now we knighted Colombia with the proud crown of “ally” (read vassal). So stay tuned for action in the Caribbean.
I would love to Venezuela liberated,
Western tentacles are tied up in Ukraine, Middle East and Africa. Give them some time.
What kind of business does Bennet have trying to negotiate ANYTHING?
He needs to begin with negotiating with the Palestinian people regarding their OWN autonomy, the fool.
Any time a citizen of the world stops war, that should be a good thing to any human.
Bennet is in play because Zelensky wants him in play. That’s good enough for me.
He happens to have good relations with both parties, and would like to shine in the realm of nternational affairs.
It’s not really a terrible idea because they are more neutral in re to Ukraine/Russia than most in the west. (Certainly not the US). They have not sanctioned Russia and so they are trusted there. But they also had a good relationship with Ukraine before the war (Netanyahu and Zelinskyy were friendly etc.)
And yes, Israel has been an apartheid nation toward Palestinians.
People want to kill you, keep them away.
??
Palestinians were killing Israelis, so you keep separate from them.
The Palestinians were being forced from their homes. They throw rocks FFS. You are a bully-supporter.
The Jewish citizens of Israel were forced out of their homes in Europe and the Mid East.so they needed a place to go.
Great, I need a place to stay, can I knock down your house and kick you out?
They sent 7 thousand to fight in the criminal war in Iraq (the irony) and us is using them as sacrificial offering. Then they go on to elect a Jewish president, prime minister and half the cabinet filled with Jewish and yet Israel spurned them😅( this one I applaud, anytime a people elect minority as leaders in a free democratic election is a magnificent thing). Ukraine really needs to stop falling for the latest fad and think for themselves.
For many years we have been told that Israel is our “ally”. Why is this ally going against our participation in the Ukrainian-Russian war? Because that war overwhelms the US news and completely stops all news on Iran.
So you approve of US actions promoting the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine?. Anything that promotes peace here is a good thing, and if a minor politician gets a bit of glory as a peacemaker, there is no harm.
Learn to analyze written statements because your ability in that respect is non-existent. Why? Because I have nowhere written anything that justifies you decrepit first sentence.
Don’t let trolling get to you.
I criticize Israel a lot but brokering a ceasefire / peace absolutely the best thing they can do. I hope it is true.
What does having yet another U.S. ‘ally’ to for the war effort? Nothing
If you want to end a war, it is always good to have a 3rd party who is neutral try to broker the deal.
Russia is not gonna win this war you do realise that
They’ve committed 100% of their troops and yet still not managed to achieve regime change
Why exactly should Ukrainians surrender????
Please explain???
Where do you get your news??? Try to find an alternative soon!
An alternative????
From what,the kremlin!
This war is costing Putin over a billion $ every day,his currency has tanked,over 350 foreign companies has left Russia or suspended their business in Russia,they’ll be probably several million Russians out of work by the end of the year,Putin has had his foreign currency reserves frozen $ 400 billion!!!
Now if you want a sensible conversation about how you fight a war under those circumstances be my guest
Oh,i i didn’t mention the Russian army is in an absolute terrible condition due to the criminal effects of 22 years worth of Putin cleptocracy,basically the oligarchs stole the defence budget
If you look at the military equipment sent into Ukraine its ancient,old Soviet rubbish,and believe me i know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to Russian military equipment
“This war is costing Putin over a billion $ every day,”
And the energy prices are paying Russia $700 million a day. They can keep this up for months. But they won’t have to – the fighting will be over by end of the month.
The fighting won’t be over until Russia has left Ukraine,and Russia can’t keep it up for long without killing more Ukrainians,and sooner or later NATO will step in
Similar to WWI-very physically tough troops,starved, without food.Shoes wore out.Battle plans given to Germany, trains wheels did not fit on the rails-wrong gauge.
Russia no longer has physically tough troops,they’re conscripts who are used to living a soft western style consumer lifestyle
poor bob!The future will soon show us.
don’t think so
Poor dear little bobby, aged 5 years old but he can type.
Anti war site,what a joke
Pro kremlin bunch of Muppets
They’ve only committed perhaps 30% of their forces. Most of them are still sitting on the border waiting for the big push across the country. Stop reading the MSM.
What big push???
Theres about a full Division stuck in a huge traffic jam,and sorry to disabuse you of your fantasy but there is no second or third echelon for your so called ” big push”
The entire operation has basically ground to a halt,and remember this was supposed to be over in a matter of a few days,with a Putin puppet government installed in Kiev
It hasn’t happened,and Putin military hasn’t got the resources to make it happen
He’s basically killing civilians just like he did in Syria,because thats all his army is capable of
They have kept their best troops,i.e. special forces out of this fiasco, and deployed underpaid,brutalized conscripts.
Their best troops are getting slaughtered,you’ve obviously no idea about AFV recognition,if you did you’d understand the vehicles destroyed are from Russian airborne forces, those are the best,they ain’t got anything else
Not to deny the courage and resourcefulness of the Ukranians, but then why are the Russians having such a tough time of it?
I’m not at all sure that Israel is qualified to broker ANYTHING.
Not “broker”, “bookie”. They’re picking a winner.
I think the Israelis were being strangely honest – this is the best deal Ukraine would get, and Ukraine is losing the war decisively, in contrast to what the corporate media tells us.
The calendar, on the other hand, tells us that unless Putin’s aims are extremely limited and most operations are simply tactical distractions from securing LPR/DPR and a corridor to Crimea, he’s not losing the war, he’s lost it.
Calendar, why, what’s the hurry? What wars normally last a few weeks? I see no historical basis for that claim. If he takes the major cities of Ukraine over the next 3-6 months, this will be remembered as a short and decisive Russian victory, not a long war.
“What wars normally last a few weeks?”
Germany took Warsaw in 29 days and Paris in 40. And France, at least, was something resembling a “peer adversary.”
The US took Baghdad in 26 days.
If Putin aimed to take Kyiv, he had a short window within which to do so, and he’s well past that window.
Russia took Berlin after 4 years – no one says the Nazis actually won because Russia was slow to take their capital. Similarly, it took the Syrian government 4 years to retake Aleppo after the rebels stormed it. Rapidly seizing a target only indicates the defenders were unprepared, it has no bearing on whether your strategic objectives are successful or failures in the long run. German could not hold Paris or Warsaw in the long run, and nor could America hold Baghdad.
Putin doesn’t have four years. He probably doesn’t have four months if he wants to remain alive and in power. This was supposed to be a somewhat larger version of Georgia, not a reprise of World War Two.
I don’t think so. He’s been in power for 22 years. He clearly sees this as more important that the Georgia war, hence his hour long speech to justify it. He sees the Soviet partition of Russia and Ukraine as a grave mistake, and it is his mission to right that wrong, and he thinks the cost to Russia is a price worth paying.
If you had even taken a few hours to find what I have written about the conflict you would have found me squarely in the anti-war camp. If I had lived many years ago I would have participated in the Zimmerwald Conference.
Perhaps the Israeli government is courageous in this case but I have my doubts. Anti-war is not normally an expression one uses for Israel’s governments.
Are Ukrainians brave or stupid? That is the question.
They have a lot of pent up anger at Russia, and they were misled by Western covert handlers to think the West would fight this war for them.
They are unfortunate to lie in Russia’s underbelly.Their leaders are awfull, in thinking that Putin would allow NATO missiles in Russia’s underbelly.
In all honesty, the offer was designed to be rejected. A Vassal state like Ukraine can’t go on being neutral. Even after the invasion we saw an application to join EU was filed. Ukraine cannot function without a honcho.