{"id":1839592,"date":"2023-02-08T09:05:28","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T14:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1839592"},"modified":"2023-02-08T09:10:30","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T14:10:30","slug":"ex-israeli-pm-says-russia-and-ukraine-were-eager-to-end-war-early-last-year-but-u-s-and-allies-interfered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-israeli-pm-says-russia-and-ukraine-were-eager-to-end-war-early-last-year-but-u-s-and-allies-interfered\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Israeli PM Says Russia and Ukraine Were Eager to End War Early Last Year &#8211; But U.S. and Allies Interfered"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fex-israeli-pm-says-russia-and-ukraine-were-eager-to-end-war-early-last-year-but-u-s-and-allies-interfered%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1839592&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><br \/>\n<h3 class=\"subtitle\">Former Israeli Prime Minster Naftali Bennett said that Russia was eager to stop fighting early last year. The U.S., along with its allies, had other plans.<\/h3>\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"body markup\">\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link is-viewable-img image2\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa82824be-acb7-47b7-b631-92b4b9ffcbf8_1456x1048.png\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img src width=\"1456\" height=\"1048\" data-attrs=\"{\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-link-expand\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Naftali Bennett \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Naftali Bennett, the then prime minister of Israel was found praying on a small, cramped plane over Kazakhstan last year. With the help of the Mossad the long flight was arranged to take off for Moscow with the desperate mission of brokering peace between Russia, Ukraine, and the other countries that had been at war.<\/p>\n<p><span>Bennett claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin made two significant concessions during the course of their meeting. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/bennett-putin-assured-me-at-moscow-meeting-he-wouldnt-kill-zelensky\/\" rel=\"\">March 5, 2009 meeting<\/a><span>. First, he gave up. \u201cdenazification\u201d\u2014that is, regime change in Kiev. Second, he dropped his demand for Ukraine\u2019s demilitarization. Bennett said President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to abandon Ukraine\u2019s pursuit of NATO membership in exchange. Both Zelensky, Putin, and Zelensky appeared eager to stop fighting. However, the U.S. had different plans.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"subscription-widget-wrap\">\n<div class=\"subscription-widget show-subscribe\">\n<div class=\"preamble\">\n<p>CONTRA is a reader-supported magazine. You can subscribe for free or to a fee to receive new posts, and help me with my work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bennett said a \u201cdecision by the West\u201d It was made \u201cto keep striking Putin\u201d Ukraine \u201cThey blocked it and I thought they were wrong,\u201d He stated. Bennett pointed out that France and Germany were more open to the idea than the U.S. and U.K. which had a more hostile attitude towards Russia.<\/p>\n<p>Given that the U.K. is essentially a D.C. lapdog, it is likely that the U.S. decided to continue the war. Indeed, Bennett said he deferred \u201cto America in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"youtube2-qK9tLDeWBzs\" class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{\" videoId>\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/breaking-silence-bennett-admits-mistakes-urges-government-not-to-act-power-drunk\/\" rel=\"\">Hanoch Daum, comedian and author, interviews us<\/a><span>Bennett offered a behind the scenes view of his attempts to reach a ceasefire. It was a look at how it started out promising but ended up being destroyed by imperial intrigue. He spoke for the first time about his attempts to mediate peace among the two countries. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are many Jews in Ukraine and Russia,\u201d Daum was informed by Bennett about Bennett&#8217;s motives. \u201cand as prime minister of the Jewish state I have a responsibility.\u201d It was a race against all odds to end the war before many civilians were murdered. <\/p>\n<p>His solution? \u201ccreating contact with both sides and trying to mediate,\u201d He is leveraging his good relationships with Putin and Zelensky. \u201cI was under the impression both sides very much want a ceasefire,\u201d He stated. Bennett kept in touch with the U.K., France, Germany and France throughout the negotiations. They were appraised during the talks, which were mostly conducted by telephone. Bennett said that while Putin was open for diplomacy, the U.S. wasn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The trust I had built with Putin was rare. America didn\u2019t know how to communicate at that time, neither does it know today. I don\u2019t think there was anyone else who had the trust of both sides. Perhaps [Turkey\u2019s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] to a degree. That\u2019s one thing. Second, I established a rule that provided a lot humanitarian assistance but not weapons. I informed Putin about everything I did. Putin was also informed. [by phone call], \u201cI\u2019m setting up a field hospital in Lvov.\u201d So he stated. \u201cIf you give me your word that it won\u2019t be a hiding place for weapons or soldiers, that it won\u2019t be used for military purposes, then no problem. I\u2019ll ensure it\u2019s not bombed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bennett described Putin as \u201cpragmatic\u201d And not \u201cMessianic\u201d But he was governed by specific, limited objectives. This is contrary to the Western portrayal of him as a madman bent upon world dominance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"subscription-widget-wrap\">\n<div class=\"subscription-widget show-subscribe\">\n<div class=\"preamble\">\n<p>CONTRA is a reader-supported magazine. You can subscribe for free or for a fee to receive new posts, and to support my work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bennett stated that Putin doesn&#8217;t consider himself an imperialist but rather a person fighting against imperialism through NATO expansionism. \u201cPutin\u2019s perception was . . . when the [Berlin] Wall came down, we reached an agreement with NATO, that they wouldn\u2019t expand NATO and would not touch the belt countries that envelop Russia.\u201d Bennett noted that incorporating Ukraine into NATO has long been central to Russia\u2019s security concerns, which Bennett likened to the Monroe Doctrine. The U.S. wouldn\u2019t tolerate China incorporating Mexico into a hostile military alliance. Why would Russia allow the U.S. the same with Ukraine <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I called the Americans, [Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken], [President Joe] Biden, and [Jake] Sullivan, the National Security Advisor, and I said, \u2018I have Putin\u2019s ear, I can be a pipeline.\u201d Bennett claims that \u201cZelensky initiated the request to contact Putin. Zelensky called me and asked me to contact Putin.\u201d Bennett reiterated Zelensky contacted him to help mediate peace talks. \u201cKeep in mind, he knows that his days are numbered, that he\u2019ll be killed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was worried about the impending German energy crisis and its implications. \u201cI tell [Scholz] about my discussion with Putin and Putin says, \u2018We can reach a ceasefire.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Bennett started coordinating with other nations while receiving calls from Zelensky and Putin.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cSo I start talks back and forth, Putin-Zelensky, Zelensky-Putin.\u201d He was surprised to find that both sides were willing and able to accept concessions after the initial round of posturing. \u201cDrafts are exchanged, not only through us, directly as well. They\u2019re in Belarus in a city called Gomel.\u201d 28 February <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/ukraine-agrees-meet-russia-belarus-border\/story?id=83144588\" rel=\"\">In Belarus, Gomel region was the venue for talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine<\/a><span>. Bennett stated that however \u201cthe world looked down on\u201d The diplomatic attempt, he \u201cconsidered it a good thing that they were talking and exchanging.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"subscription-widget-wrap\">\n<div class=\"subscription-widget show-subscribe\">\n<div class=\"preamble\">\n<p>CONTRA is a reader-supported magazine. You can subscribe for free or to a fee to receive new posts, and help me with my work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bennett realized that there was no way to make a breakthrough in the area and they were running out time before the war became more catastrophic. He continued to search for a solution, communicating with other governments constantly. \u201cI explained it to the Americans. Everything I did was fully coordinated with Biden, with [French President Emmanuel Macron], with [then-Prime Minister of the U.K. Boris Johnson], with Scholz, and obviously with Zelensky.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was confident peace was possible, contra Washington, who didn\u2019t believe it was\u2014or rather, didn\u2019t want to see a ceasefire born. Bennet\u2019s interviewer asked the obvious: \u201cMaybe they didn\u2019t want you to succeed.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Yet he tried, encouraged by both Putin and Zelensky\u2019s willingness to move forward. <\/p>\n<p>Bennett arrived in Moscow on March 5th for a visit to the Kremlin. It was a rainy and cold day. Bennett spent hours researching the history of Russia and Ukraine, consulting experts and learning all he could about increasing the chances of success. It was a successful venture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I met Putin, he made two big concessions that are obvious now, that weren\u2019t at the time.\u201d Putin is an important factor \u201crenounced the denazification, i.e. taking out Zelensky.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you going to kill Zelensky?\u201d Bennett asked. \u201cI won\u2019t kill Zelensky,\u201d Putin responded. Zelensky had been hiding from Putin in a \u201csecret bunker\u201d Bennett stated that Bennett was speaking at the time. \u201cI have to understand that you\u2019re giving your word that you won\u2019t kill Zelensky.\u201d Putin stated again \u201cI won\u2019t kill Zelensky.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"subscription-widget-wrap\">\n<div class=\"subscription-widget show-subscribe\">\n<div class=\"preamble\">\n<p>CONTRA is a reader-supported magazine. Consider becoming a paid or free subscriber to receive new posts and support me in my work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAfter the meeting, in the car from the Kremlin to the airport, I contacted Zelensky by WhatsApp or Telegram,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cI call Zelensky and say, \u2018I came out of a meeting, he\u2019s not going to kill you.\u2019 [Zelensky] asks, \u2018are you sure?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c100 percent, he won\u2019t kill you.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><span>Bennett recalled: \u201cTwo hours later, Zelensky went to his office, and did a selfie in the office, [in which the Ukrainian president said,] \u2018I\u2019m not afraid.\u2019\u201d Zelensky also recorded himself saying the following on March 7, when Putin had reportedly promised Bennett that he would spare him. \u201cI\u2019m not hiding and I\u2019m not afraid of anyone,\u201d In his presidential office\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/im-not-hiding-im-not-032806724.html\" rel=\"\">This was the first time this has happened since the war began<\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Juxtaposed against a Western media machine that insisted that a mad Russian autocrat wouldn\u2019t stop at Kiev but reach further and further, Bennett was on the verge of a breakthrough. <\/p>\n<p><span>When Zelensky and Putin expressed concerns about Western security guarantees\u2014<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qK9tLDeWBzs?t=9805\" rel=\"\">Zelensky wanted them, but was worried about their fragility. Putin viewed them as a strength. \u201cno different than NATO\u201d<\/a><span>\u2014Bennett proposed the \u201cIsraeli model\u201d of self-sufficiency: no guarantees beyond one\u2019s own military force as deterrence against foreign aggression. According to Bennett, Ukraine and Russia were amenable to the idea\u2014\u201cthey both accepted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Bennett began to share the good news with other countries after the meeting at Moscow. It happened.<\/p>\n<p>Bennett was \u201cblocked\u201d By \u201cthe West\u201d From pursuing peace. He said that if he had been negotiating directly on behalf of his Israel\u2019s national interests, he would have ignored the call and stood firm. \u201cHere, I don\u2019t have a say,\u201d He stated. \u201cI\u2019m just the mediator, but I turn to America in this regard, I don\u2019t do as I please.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>It was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/responsiblestatecraft.org\/2022\/09\/02\/diplomacy-watch-why-did-the-west-stop-a-peace-deal-in-ukraine\/\" rel=\"\">later reported<\/a><span> Boris may have been involved in the attempt to stop negotiations. In this context, the U.K. seems almost insignificant. Only the United States, the superpower that can kill a peace agreement for Ukraine is capable of doing so if Zelensky AND Putin are willing to sign. It\u2019s has happened before, too. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As I\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/contra.substack.com\/p\/the-blood-on-george-w-bushs-hands\" rel=\"\">Contra was previously written about.<\/a><span>\u00a0Maurice Gourdault &#8211; Montagne, a former top French foreign policy aide, said last year, that the U.S. had killed similar diplomatic negotiations in 2006.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>France was the mediator this time, but the objective was the same: satisfy Russia\u2019s security concerns while guaranteeing Ukrainian sovereignty. Chirac was strongly pro-Ukraine, but also considered Russia a peer and had legitimate concerns that NATO would be used to support U.S.-led imperialism. Gourdault Montagne claimed that the peace agreement was not a peaceful one. \u201ca reciprocal protection of Ukraine, by Russia on one hand, and NATO on the other; this would have been overseen by the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/topics_50091.htm#:~:text=The%20NATO%2DRussia%20Council%20(NRC,security%20issues%20of%20common%20interest.\" rel=\"\">Russia-NATO Council<\/a><span>, which had been created in the early 2000s.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Russians accepted, and the French diplomat went to Washington. This was the end of the road to peace. An <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9Evk2FM5cg0&#038;ab_channel=Europe1\" rel=\"\">Interview<\/a><span> Gourdault-Montagne stated: <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Then I went to the Americans, to Condoleezza Rice in Washington, who was Secretary of State at the time, and who had been my counterpart during the Iraq War\u2014I knew she was, I would say, hardline, but also sometimes pragmatic. This was completely unexpected. She looked at the paper and said: \u201cYou, the French, for a long time you held up the first wave of East European countries joining NATO, you will not hold up the second wave.\u201d This was when we realized that the American plan to bring Ukraine into NATO was in full force and time.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Someone, maybe Mark Twain, said that history doesn\u2019t repeat, but it does rhyme. Bennett&#8217;s discovery is a reminder of how the U.S. calls the war tune for decades.<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscription-widget-wrap\">\n<div class=\"subscription-widget show-subscribe\">\n<div class=\"preamble\">\n<p>CONTRA is a reader-supported magazine. 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The U.S., along with its allies, had other plans. Naftali Bennett \/ YouTube Naftali Bennett, the then prime minister of Israel was found praying on a small, cramped plane over Kazakhstan last year. With the help of the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1839595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[8066,18008,18009,18007,3618,4280,7238,6991,6696],"class_list":["post-1839592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-allies","tag-eager","tag-ex-israeli","tag-interfered","tag-riot","tag-russia","tag-u-s","tag-ukraine","tag-war"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1839592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1839592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1839592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1839595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1839592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1839592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1839592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}