Ukraine calls on Israel to mediate conflict
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that Israel serve as a mediator with Russia to help resolve the military conflict between the two countries.
According to a report by Kan News, Zelensky told Bennett: "We want the negotiations to take place in Jerusalem. We think that Israel is the country that could hold such negotiations in the middle of the war."
Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, confirmed the news to The New York Times, saying: "Israel is the only democratic state in the world that has great relations with both Ukraine and Russia".
He added, however, that Bennett did not give an immediate answer.
"They are trying to figure out where they are in this chess play."
According to a readout from Bennett's office earlier on Friday, he offered humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and told Zelensky that he hopes the war will end soon.
The statement from his office did not include any condemnation of Russian actions, nor did it mention Russia by name.