Bennett advises Zelensky to surrender, Zelensky refuses - report

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he recommends Ukraine take the offer made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war - which includes many Ukrainian sacrifices - in a phone call on Tuesday, according to an official in Ukraine's government.

According to the official, Zelensky did not take Bennett's advice.

The source claimed that the phone call was initiated by Bennett. "If I were you, I would think about the lives of my people and take the offer," Bennett reportedly said.

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Zelensky's response was short: "I hear you," he said.

According to the report, the Ukrainian president and his people did not like the advice.

"Bennett told us to surrender," said the official. "We have no intention of doing so. We know Putin's offer is only the beginning."

PRIME MINISTER Naftali Bennett arrives for a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Sunday, on the heels of his talks in Moscow and Berlin. (credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)

In the past two weeks, and especially since Bennett's visit to Moscow, the prime minister's office and the Foreign Ministry have been claiming that Israel's mediation efforts force them to keep an even more cautious and balanced approach. This message was also passed quietly to Zelensky's office. The official also said that Israel asked Ukraine not to request more military and defense aid because such a request could harm the mediation efforts.

According to the official, however, Zelensky's office isn't seeing results from the mediation. He said that Bennett isn't mediating so much as functioning as a mailbox and just passing messages between the two sides. According to him, a mediator needs to try to put together a compromise between the two sides and make his own offers.

"We don't need a mailbox," said the official. "We have enough of those. If Bennett wants to be neutral and mediate, we would expect to see him appoint someone to work on it day and night and try to get a compromise."

Ukrainian officials believe that Bennett's involvement in diplomatic efforts comes from his not wanting to take a clear stance regarding the Russian invasion for fear that it will harm Israel's ties with Russia.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian Ambassador Yvgeni Kornichuk is expected to meet with Knesset Chairman Mickey Levi. The official said that Kornichuk intends to make clear to Levi that the only option, as far as Zelensky is concerned, is a video speech in the Knesset plenum and not a Zoom call which will only include a few MKs.

If the Knesset speech does not happen, the Ukrainian leader is looking at other options. The first is a speech in Yad Vashem, and the second is a speech in Tel Aviv's Bima Square. Mayor Ron Huldai has already told Zelensky that he would be happy to arrange it.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian negotiator in talks with Russia said Bennett rejected claims Israel tried to nudge Ukraine into caving to Russian demands during talks.