Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid yesterday met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss Israel’s efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, local media reported.
“There’s no real alternative to American leadership that is determined to prevent wars and bloodshed,” Israel National News reported Lapid saying.
“Israel is totally committed to doing everything possible to stop the war in Ukraine. We have condemned the Russian invasion and we still do. And Israel is a partner in the global effort to make sure and clarify that this war must be stopped,” he added.
Lapid said that Israeli efforts are fully coordinated with the US and the EU.
“The way to stop a war is to negotiate,” he said, adding: “Israel is speaking with both sides, both with Russia and Ukraine, and we are working in full coordination with our greatest ally, the United States, and with our European partners.”
The meeting comes after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett carried out a secret tour of Europe and talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Meanwhile, Blinken said the US appreciates any efforts of its allies “to see if there’s any opening to end the war.”
The US said Blinken met with Lapid “to exchange views regarding how to stop the premeditated, unprovoked and unjustified attack by Putin’s military forces on Ukraine and its people.”
They also discussed: “The urgent need for Russia to cease its aggression, allow for humanitarian corridors and fully withdraw from Ukrainian territory.”
Lapid said his meeting with Blinken comes at a time “when the world order is changing,” referring, according to Ynet News, to both the Russian war in Ukraine and the nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers.
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