Report: Israel’s PM Naftali Bennett Is Lead Ukraine-Russia Mediator

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been the lead mediator between Russia and Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday night, citing three officials close to the talks. The 15-point plan currently being discussed by the two sides in the conflict is  the result of the mediation led by Bennett, according to the report.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also has been involved in mediation efforts, according to the Financial Times.

The plan calls for an immediate cease-fire; the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory; a commitment by Ukraine to not to join the NATO alliance and not to allow foreign forces to set up military bases in Ukraine. The agreement would also involve international guarantees for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the massive sanctions by Western countries to antisemitic attacks by the Nazis.“The West dropped its mask of civility and began to act belligerently. It begs a comparison to the antisemitic pogroms” of Nazis, he said during a televised government meeting on Wednesday.