Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed not to kill Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenksyy during early invasion negotiations, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday.
Bennett briefly served as a mediator between Putin and Zelenskyy in the first weeks of the invasion of Russia. The former prime minister traveled to Moscow and met Putin in March 2022, detailing his conversation during an interview posted online on Saturday.
“I asked ‘what’s up with this? Are you planning to kill Zelenskyy?’ He said, ‘I won’t kill Zelenskyy.’ So I said, ‘I have to understand that you’re giving me your word that you won’t kill Zelenskyy.’ He said, ‘I’m not going to kill Zelenskyy,'” Bennett said of their conversation.
Bennett said he then called Zelenskyy to tell him the news.
“’Listen, I left a meeting, he’s not going to kill you.’ He asks, ‘are you sure?’ I said ‘100% it won’t kill you,'” Bennett said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, reportedly vowed not to kill his Ukrainian counterpart. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on December 21, 2022. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
The revelations of Putin’s promise come just weeks before the first anniversary of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. However, diplomatic efforts have since failed and Zelenskyy now says he is not willing to talk to Putin until he withdraws his forces from Ukraine.
Other Ukrainian officials have dismissed Bennett’s statement, arguing that Putin was simply lying.
“Do not be fooled: [Putin] he is an expert liar. Every time he promised not to do something, it has been exactly part of his plan,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Putin’s army appears to be preparing for a major ground offensive in the coming months, leading Ukraine to desperately ask its Western allies for tanks. The United States has pledged to deliver 31 M1 Abrams tanks by the end of January, though the vehicles require extensive training and maintenance and won’t be seen on the battlefield for months.
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Germany, Poland and other European countries are also delivering German-built Leopard 2 tanks, which will enter service much sooner.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he got a promise from Vladimir Putin not to kill Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Abir Sultan/Pool photo via AP, file)
The United States has promised to deliver 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. (Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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The United States has delivered tens of billions in military aid to Ukraine since the invasion began in February 2022. President Biden’s administration has stated that the aid will continue “for as long as it is needed.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
