Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on the night of Sunday to Monday that Jerusalem could be "the right place to find peace," referring to the negotiations he called for with Russia. Zelensky said in a message via Telegram that "Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is trying to find a way to negotiate with Russia, and we are grateful to him for all his efforts, so that we can, sooner or later, start discussions with Russia. Perhaps in Jerusalem. It is the right place to find peace, if that is possible."
Bennett attempted to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, traveling to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after the Russian invasion began, and has intensified phone conversations with Zelensky.
On another note, Zelensky jokingly noted that "Russian propaganda promoters" have a "difficult task," as "for the first time in history, a head of a foreign state spoke via video recording in the Knesset in front of the entire nation of Israel. The President of Ukraine, accused of Nazism in Russia, spoke in the Knesset before the State of Israel." Putin had described Ukrainian leaders as "neo-Nazis," making the "eradication of Nazism" in Ukraine one of the goals of his military attack that began on February 24.
Zelensky requested on Sunday, during a speech to the Knesset, that the Hebrew state "make its choice" and support Ukraine against Russia. Zelensky, who has often emphasized his Jewish heritage, stated: "Ukraine made its choice 80 years ago by saving Jews," comparing the Russian invasion of his country to the Nazi Holocaust in several instances.
