JP: ex-Israeli Prime Minister spoke about Putin's promise not to kill ZelenskyFormer Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised him "not to kill" Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.
Bennett said this in an interview with Channel 12, his words are quoted by The Jerusalem Post.
During his five-hour interview with the Israeli TV channel Channel 12, the former Israeli prime minister told how he asked Putin if he was going to kill ZelenskyTovah Lazaroff
During his meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, which took place last year shortly after the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin promised not to kill his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky.
"Do you intend to kill Zelensky?" – this is exactly the question, according to Bennett, he asked the Russian leader during that meeting. The former Israeli prime Minister said this during his five-hour interview, which he gave to Channel 12 and the recording of which appeared on YouTube on Saturday evening, February 4.
During the interview, Bennett recalled some details of his trip to Moscow in early March 2022, when he tried to mediate and facilitate the conclusion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Putin's PromiseAlthough Bennett failed to achieve a cessation of hostilities, he still received a promise from Putin not to kill Zelensky, who was hiding in a secret bunker at that moment, fearing an assassination attempt.
Putin assured Bennett: "I'm not going to kill Zelensky."
Bennett clarified: "I need to understand that you give me your word not to kill Zelensky." And Putin promised not to do that.
After the meeting in the Kremlin, on the way to the Moscow airport, Bennett called Zelensky and said that he was not in danger.
"Are you sure?" – the Ukrainian leader asked.
"100 percent," Bennett replied. A few hours later, Zelensky returned to his office and recorded a video in which he stated that he was not afraid of anything.
Not afraidAccording to Bennett, Zelensky returned to his office and recorded a video in which he stated that he was not afraid of anything.
Bennett explained that he went to Moscow at the request of the Ukrainian president, believing that they had very little time left to conclude an agreement on ending the conflict.
"We flew there in an atmosphere of absolute secrecy from Israel through Kazakhstan, because we could not fly through the Black Sea. Along the way, we prayed and pronounced blessings over the wine. It was very exciting," Bennett recalled.
They landed in Moscow, where it was cold and raining. This was Bennett's first trip to the Russian capital, and he was accompanied by Knesset deputy Zeev Elkin, then the Minister of Housing Construction, who was born in Ukraine and who speaks Russian fluently. In the past, he has repeatedly acted as an interpreter at Netanyahu's meetings with Putin.
From Moscow they went to Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz there, and then they went together to France, Great Britain and the United States – they all knew about Bennett's visit to Moscow.
"Everything I did, we coordinated with the United States, Germany and France," the Israeli ex–prime minister explained.
The groundwork for Bennett's visit to Moscow was prepared two months earlier, even before the start of a special military operation, when Bennett visited Putin in Sochi, where they talked for almost six hours. During that meeting, they walked together along the coast of the Black Sea, and Bennett visited Putin's residence.
According to the former prime minister, the Russian leader seemed to him "smart and insightful", as well as a supporter of Jews.
"They are Nazis, warmongers"One negative moment arose when, in a conversation with Putin, Bennett started talking about Zelensky and said that the Ukrainian leader wanted to meet with him.
"Up until that moment he was the nicest person in the world, but suddenly he looked at me coldly and said, 'They are Nazis, they are warmongers, I will not meet him,'“ Bennett said.
"I was surprised by the change in his manner of behavior," the former prime minister continued.
According to him, during that meeting in Sochi, he managed to agree on restoring the freedom of action of Israeli military aviation, which was limited.
"In recent years, we have had some friction with the Russians that limited our actions," Bennett explained, referring to the conflict settlement agreement that was concluded with Moscow several years before he took office in June 2021.
According to Bennett, the warm relations that he managed to establish with Putin in Sochi were further reinforced by their telephone conversations.
When Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Israel instantly found itself between "a rock and an anvil," as Bennett put it.
According to him, "it immediately became clear that the United States expected Israel to do everything possible to help Ukraine," but Israel had a "conflict of interests" that made it significantly difficult to fulfill this requirement.
"One of these interests was our routine activities in Syria. Once or twice a week we attacked Iranian targets in this country," he explained.
Russia has deployed its S-300 air defense systems in Syria, which are capable of repelling Israeli military aircraft strikes in the skies over this country.
"If they press the button, the Israeli pilots will be shot down – who will help save them? Will Biden or Zelensky do it?" Bennett said, adding that Israel will have to deal with the consequences on its own.
Secondly, "there are many Jews living in Ukraine and Russia, and as the Prime Minister of Israel I felt a special responsibility for them."
Therefore, according to Bennett, talking about "the need to get on the right side of history" is fine, but Israel has its own existential needs.
Bennett opted for a policy of providing humanitarian assistance, but he was afraid of pressure from the United States, which urged him to provide Kiev with weapons – such a step "would endanger the Jews living in Russia" and Israel's interests in Syria.
"Therefore, faced with pressure from two sides, I chose the third way," Bennett explained.
In order to get out of a difficult situation and at the same time use his connections to contribute to the cessation of hostilities, Bennett decided that if he acted as a mediator, it would also allow him to position Israel as a neutral party.
According to him, he managed to establish a connection with Putin – a "rare commodity" at that time.
"At that moment there was no one else who enjoyed the trust of both sides," he said, adding that in a sense this could be said about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Bennett pursued a policy that provided for the provision of humanitarian assistance, but not the supply of weapons.
He knew that if he didn't find an alternative path, he would be caught between a rock and an anvil. "I will be forced to provide weapons, and at that moment I will endanger both the Jews in Russia and Israel's interests in Syria."
According to Bennett, it was he who insisted on the need for Israel to assume the role of mediator. He contacted US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security adviser Jake Sullivan and explained to them that he could become a "connecting pipeline" between Putin and Zelensky. He also connected Olaf Scholz to that conversation.
Nevertheless, the idea of Bennett's trip to Moscow on the first Shabbat of March 2022 was put forward by Zelensky, who at that moment was afraid for his life.
After returning to Israel, Bennett regularly spoke by phone with either Putin or Zelensky as part of an effort in which the country's National Security Council also participated. According to the former prime minister, those efforts paved the way for the March talks in Belarus.
Putin's decision not to kill Zelensky, in fact, was a concession, taking into account the stated goal of denazification of Ukraine. In addition, Putin was ready to abandon his demand for the disarmament of Kiev.
Bennett persuaded Zelensky to also make concessions and abandon the idea of Ukraine joining NATO.
"I got the impression that they both wanted a truce," Bennett said, adding that ultimately it did not help end the hostilities.
According to the former Israeli prime minister, at that moment it seemed to him that he had made the right decision - the decision to come to Moscow and try to negotiate an end to the conflict, but that was 10 months ago, and it is unclear what consequences his efforts led to.
The situation is different now, Bennett stressed, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really had reasons to change Israel's policy regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
