As far as Israel is concerned the “ball is in Zelensky’s court” to end the war. Commenting on the mediating role which Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is playing between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenky, a Ynetnew.com commentator, Itamar Eichner, wrote on March 8: “According to sources in Jerusalem, everyone involved in the negotiations understands that the ball in ending the fighting now is in Zelensky’s court and he will have to decide if he wants to accept Putin’s terms, which would preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and keep him in office... or sticks with his demands and sees the war escalate
Israel is simply mediating and not making proposals, the government insists. Citing sources, Eichner writes that the two sides are not far apart, “but Zelensky has a difficult decision ahead - agree to the Russian proposal by losing the Donbas region, committing to remain out of NATO, and saving his people from further war and destruction - or keep fighting and remain the beloved leader and international star he has become in the past two weeks.”
Eichner writes that Zelensky “may have already fallen in love with his position as the darling of the international community,” nonetheless “He must show some flexibility, sources say, because Putin will not back down.”
While the Russian terms “do not translate to a Ukrainian surrender… they are hard to accept.” Nonetheless Eichner warns, “Either way, the negotiations are nearing the point of no return after which a ceasefire agreement will not be possible. The sources add that Putin may harden his demands if no progress is reached in Belarus.”
Apparently, according to this report Bennett is the only Western leader who has received an in-depth view into Putin’s desires. Israeli officials are saying that “Putin would like the war to end, but on his terms and that message was relayed to the leaders in the West.” Furthermore Putin is “well aware of his options in numerous scenarios. He does not seem confused, surprised or panicked” and “is rather very confident and clear-minded about his ambitions.” They conclude that Putin “is sticking to the basic premise that Russia’s military machine will ultimately break Ukraine’s resistance, and from his perspective, some of the delay of Russia’s military progress has been due to the president’s desire to see what negotiations would yield.”
Zalensky today said that Israel would be an acceptable location for peace talks.
