Netanyahu: I would consider acting as mediator between Ukraine and Russia if asked

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he was willing to act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine if asked to do so by the governments of the two countries and the United States.

“If I am asked by all interested parties, I will certainly look into it, but personally I am not pushing to take on such a role,” Mr Netanyahu said during an interview with US television network CNN. He added that for the venture to be successful, the initiative would need to be taken “at the right time” and “under the right circumstances.”

He explained that in order to take on such a role, he considers it a condition that he be explicitly asked by Washington, as “you can’t have too many cooks in the kitchen”.

Furthermore, Israel’s right-wing prime minister, who returned to power at the end of 2022, said he had been asked shortly after the invasion to take on the role of mediator, but declined because at the time he was the leader of the opposition and not the head of the government. “I have this rule: one (can be) prime minister at a time,” he explained.

He did not reveal from which side he was approached to take on the role. He pointed out that his request was submitted “informally”.

Kyiv had asked Mr Netanyahu’s predecessor, Naftali Bennett, to take on the role of mediator. Mr Bennett met Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2022 and also held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But he failed to give impetus to the effort to end the war with a negotiated agreement.

RES-EMP

Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.