Israel’s Naftali Bennett informs Berlin after meeting with Vladimir Putin

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with German Chancellor Olaf Solz in Berlin to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Bennett arrived in Germany after a visit to Moscow, where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After meeting with Putin, Bennett called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We are continuing the dialogue,” the Ukrainian leader wrote after his conversation with Bennett.

What is hidden behind Bennett’s meetings?

Bennett and Solz talked for an hour and a half, according to German spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

Hebestreit said the two leaders had agreed to remain in close contact and pledged to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible”.

Before coming to Berlin, Bennett had a three-hour meeting with Putin. Bennett’s office announced that he had left for Moscow early Saturday morning, accompanied by Russian-born cabinet minister Zef Elkin, who was born in Ukraine. Both men are observant Jews and did not normally travel on Saturday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov told Russian news agencies that “they are discussing the situation in Ukraine.”

What are the implications for Israel?

Israel has good relations with both Ukraine and Russia and has offered to act as an intermediary between the two parties.

Russia is also involved in the war in Syria, which borders Israel.

Its founding author The Times of Israel, David Horowitz, said the trip had “extremely high stakes”. He added that “trying to maintain not neutral but warm relations” with both Russia and Ukraine “could damage Israel’s position in the free world.”

Former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren said that “Bennett’s actions are bold but also dangerous.”

“Russia is in a different position today and Putin may be looking for a way out of his difficult situation,” Oren said. “Naftali Bennett can just provide the ladder.”

sdi / sms (dpa, AFP)

Correction, March 6, 2022: An earlier version of this article mistyped the names of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and German envoy Steffen Hebestreit. DW apologizes for the mistake.