Kremlin Won't Disclose Details of Putin-Bennett Talks After Ex-Israeli PM's Bombshell Interview

11:38 GMT, 6 February 2023

The ex-Israeli prime minister said in an interview published on Sunday that ceasefire talks between Kiev and Moscow were tanked by Western countries, which led to another escalation while both Russia and Ukraine were trying to find a peaceful solution. He also said Putin had promised him "not to kill" Ukrainian President Zelensky.

Sputnik

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has addressed talks between Vladimir Putin and then-Israeli PM Naftali Bennett regarding the Ukrainian crisis.

"Indeed, Putin and Bennett, when the latter was Israel's prime minister, had a very intensive dialogue, they often communicated, had personal contacts and telephone conversations. Indeed, in addition to bilateral relations, Ukraine and the military operation were on the agenda, they devoted more than one hour to discussing this topics," Peskov told reporters, commenting on former Israeli PM Bennett's interview.

The official, however, declined to provide any details in regarding Bennett's recent interview, noting that Moscow is not in favor of disclosing the details of the talks between the leaders.

In an interview with Israeli journalist Hanoch Daum published on Sunday, Bennett shared his recollections of his contact with Putin in 2021 and after the start of the special operation in Ukraine in 2022.

According to him, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky only left his hideout and filmed his "I'm not afraid" selfie video from the presidential office after Bennett said Putin wouldn't target him.

“3-4 hours into the meeting, I asked ‘are you going to kill Zelensky?’ He said ‘I won’t kill Zelensky.’ After the meeting, in the car from the Kremlin to the airport, I contacted Zelensky by WhatsApp or Telegram to say, ‘I came out of a meeting, he’s not going to kill you.’ ‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘100%, he won’t kill you.’ Two hours later Zelensky went to his office and filmed himself there on his phone," the ex-PM said.

[FILE PHOTO] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Sochi, 22 October 2021

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He stressed that both Kiev and Moscow were ready to make some concessions, however, "there was a legitimate decision by the West to keep striking Putin," which put an end to the negotiations and deepened the crisis.

According to Bennett, Russia and Ukraine were pragmatic, with France and Germany also opting for a compromise on the conflict; however, then-UK PM Boris Johnson went all-in on an aggressive approach.

This sheds light on Johnson's 2022 visit to Kiev, after which the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were disrupted.