According to his spokeswoman, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday to address the Ukraine problem.
Israel, which has a large Russian immigrant community, has offered to arbitrate in the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, despite officials previously downplaying hopes for a breakthrough.
While Israel, a strong US ally, has criticised the Russian invasion, expressed solidarity with Kyiv, and sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, it has stated that it will continue to communicate with Moscow in the hopes of resolving the problem.
Israel is also aware of Moscow’s military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, where Israel bombs Iranian and Hezbollah military sites on a regular basis. Contacts with Moscow keep Russian and Israeli forces from accidentally firing on each other.
Bennett, a devout Jew, flew on the Sabbath because Judaism allows it when the goal is to save human life, according to his spokesperson..