Naftali Bennett meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow

Naftali Bennett travelled to Moscow on Saturday to meet Vladimir Putin. An unexpected diplomatic meeting since the invasion of Ukraine began. After the meeting in the Kremlin, Bennett called Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenski to inform him of what was discussed during the meeting. 

According to an Israeli official, the Israeli prime minister has been coordinating with the United States, Germany and France to try to defuse the crisis.  

After the almost three-hour meeting in the Kremlin with Putin, Bennett travelled to Berlin to speak with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, his spokesman told the media.  

The Elysée Palace said that before the meeting in Moscow, the Israeli prime minister had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron to inform him about the talks with Putin. According to the Elysée, Bennett and Macron "will remain in contact with the aim of obtaining a ceasefire, and this in coordination with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz". 

Israel has offered to mediate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, expectations of reaching an agreement in the short term are low, according to Israeli officials. 

In the first face-to-face conversation with the Russian president, Bennett discussed the large Jewish community caught up in the war in Ukraine, which has been affected by Russia's attacks. The health ministry said Israel will set up a field hospital in Ukraine next week to treat refugees. 

Despite being a loyal ally of the United States and condemning the Russian invasion, Israel will hold talks with the Kremlin in order to stop the war. The Jewish state has a strong bond with both countries because a large part of Israel's population are migrants from the former Soviet Union. 

Another reason Israel needs to maintain a cordial relationship with Russia is because of Russia's military support for Bashar al-Assad's troops in Syria, where the Jewish nation is waging a campaign against Iranian and Hezbollah military targets. Communication with Moscow prevents Israeli and Russian forces from attacking each other by accident. 

Naftali Bennett, a religious Jew, flew to Moscow during the Sabbath, skipping the holy day. His spokesman justified this action by saying that Judaism allowed this action "when the goal is to preserve human life". 

According to Israeli sources, Benett's proposal to mediate in the conflict began in February, when the Ukrainian president asked him in numerous calls to participate in the negotiations. The Israeli prime minister is an important player on the Ukrainian war chessboard. Israel's good relationship with both countries - due to historical reasons - may help move the negotiations forward. However, his quick stance against Russia's invasion and relations with the US may make it difficult to reach an understanding with the Russian president. 

Another of the topics discussed in the conversation between Putin and Bennett was the possible reactivation of the 2015 nuclear agreement. According to the Russian president, the sanctions imposed by the West had hindered talks with the world powers to revive the agreement. 

It should be recalled that Israel is reluctant to revive the 2015 pact between the nuclear powers. In February, Bennett explained that the creation of a new nuclear agreement was "imminent", but that it would be much weaker than the previous one, and that is why they should prepare "to guarantee the security" of Israelis "by their own means" after the signing of this agreement. 

This position on the nuclear deal is mainly due to the poor relationship between Tehran and Jerusalem. The Hebrew state has remained sceptical about returning to the nuclear deal, on the grounds that the international community would leave it alone with sanctions on Iran. Since the negotiations began, Israel has always said that they agreed to return to the pact, but only as long as real control over the "Iranian nuclear programme" is maintained. 

The Israeli government's view makes unilateral talks between Tehran and Washington difficult. For the US has had to maintain a tough stance in negotiations with Iran. Despite this, talks to lift sanctions on Iran continue.  

Last Thursday, March 3, 2022, according to a US Department spokeswoman, negotiators in Vienna reportedly made "significant progress" towards resuming the nuclear deal. 

Deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter reported that they were "close to a possible agreement, but a number of difficult issues remain unresolved". She added that there would be "no significant progress" as long as those issues remained up in the air. But he stressed that "if Iran shows seriousness, we can and should reach an agreement on a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) within days". 

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said they would hold talks to resolve issues in a "pragmatic" way in order to resume the nuclear deal. This announcement came shortly after Russia asked for "written assurances" from the US that sanctions on Russia would not affect relations between Tehran and Moscow. This new demand would mean a new complication in resuming the 2015 pact.