What if Jerusalem was the right place to find peace during the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia? This is the hope expressed by Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, in a video published overnight from Sunday to Monday.
On Instagram, the Ukrainian president, whose courage and posture arouse admiration internationally, addressed Israel, which is trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for his commitment to de-escalation. “Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is trying to find a way for negotiation with Russia and we are grateful to him. For all his efforts, so that sooner or later we can start the discussion with Russia. Maybe in Jerusalem. This is the right place to find peace. If it is possible”, declared the Ukrainian president.
This Sunday, the head of state addressed the Knesset (Israeli parliament) by videoconference. He asked Israel to make a choice, recalling that in the past “Ukraine had made its choice” in memory of the Ukrainians who had hidden Jews during the Second World War. “The Righteous have hidden Jews, it is time for Israel to make its choice (…) indifference kills, calculations kill”.
Volodymyr Zelensky also deconstructed Vladimir Putin’s argument about his motivations. “Russian propagandists have a ‘difficult task,’ because for the first time in history, a president of a foreign nation has spoken via video recording to the Knesset and to the entire nation of Israel. The President of Ukraine, who is accused of Nazism in Russia, spoke in the Knesset, in front of the nation of Israel,” he said.
Israel pledged last week not to allow Moscow and the targeted oligarchs to “bypass” sanctions and will deploy a clinic in western Ukraine this week.
