Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, on October 5, 2021. (AP File Photo)
Naftali Bennett spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his meeting with Putin.
- PTI Tel Aviv
- Last Updated:March 06, 2022, 14:57 IST
- FOLLOW US ON:
Israel’s prime minister has returned from a surprise trip to Russia where he met President Vladimir Putin and discussed the war in Ukraine. Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow on Saturday, where he met the Russian leader for three hours. The trip was made in coordination and with the blessing of the Biden administration, according to Bennett’s office.
Bennett spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his meeting with Putin. He then flew to Germany to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Bennett landed in Israel on Sunday morning and is expected to convene his Cabinet for its weekly meeting later in the day.
Bennett’s trip was the latest attempt at diplomacy in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Israel is one of the few countries that has good working relations with both Russia and Ukraine. Israel has delivered humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but also maintains ties with Moscow to make sure that Israeli and Russian warplanes do not come into conflict in neighbouring Syria. ___ Kyiv: A Ukrainian paramedic who was shot while on her way to evacuate injured people from the outskirts of Kyiv was buried in the country’s capital on Saturday.
Valentyna Pushych was known locally as Romashka, which means Daisy. A friend described her as a daredevil, who was never afraid to get under bullets.’ She was always running to the most dangerous places to rescue to the injured, Nataliia Voronkova said. Pushych used to be a well-paid worker at a transport and logistic company. But in 2016, she joined the army as a paramedic in response to the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Several women, including some dressed in camouflage jackets, cried as her body lay in a casket at a service. A portrait of Pushych was on a wall nearby. At the cemetery, red roses were placed on Pushych’s body. After she was buried, the dirt was covered with the flag of Ukraine.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.