Bennett: Progress made in mediation between Kyiv and Moscow, but large gaps remain

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett addresses mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine, saying that while progress has been made on the matter, there are still disagreements on fundamental issues.

“We will continue, together with other countries, to try to bring an end to the war,” Bennett says at a conference organized by the Ynet news site.

“There is still a long way to go because there are controversial issues, some of them fundamental issues. Recently, there has been progress between the parties, but the divisions are still very large,” he says.

According to a report last week by the Financial Times, Bennett has been the “primary international mediator” during the talks. The report cited three people familiar with the matter.

Bennett also directly responds to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s caustic address to Israeli lawmakers on Sunday, saying that while he believes the Holocaust should not be compared to anything, he understands that the Ukrainian people are suffering.

“His country and his people are in a very severe war,” Bennett says. “Many hundreds of dead, millions of refugees. I cannot imagine what it is like to be in his shoes.”

“However I personally believe that the Holocaust should not be compared to anything,” he says.

Israeli politicians frequently invoke the Holocaust, most notably now-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu who often mentioned it in the context of the threat from Iran.