Israeli media: Putin knows where Zelensky is hiding

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Israeli media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that he knows exactly where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is hiding, but he has no intention to kill him.

Israeli media quoted an official informed of the conversation as saying that "Putin prefers to capture the Ukrainian president alive," and that the talks between Bennett and Putin do not showcase an agreement on the conflict in Ukraine, according to unnamed political sources.

"The meeting with Putin is an Israeli-German step to build an effective mediation mechanism," according to one American political source in Israeli media, who also pointed out that Bennett told the ministers that he is not a mediating element between Russia and Ukraine, but rather presents himself as an "honest" transmitter of messages.

Read more: Moscow resents mediation over Ukraine, especially an Israeli one

Moreover, the Director of Al Mayadeen Bureau in Moscow revealed that the Kremlin informed the Israelis that the only possible mediation to put the military operations to an end was pressuring Kiev to implement Russia's demands. The Kremlin also told Bennett that Russia does not need mediation because there are negotiations with Ukraine in Belarus. 

Earlier, Israeli media contended that Putin refused Israeli mediation in resolving the Ukraine crisis, especially after Zelensky asked "Israel" to play this role.

Read more: Zelensky's rallying cry for Jews: His last shot in a losing war

Bennett has recently held extended consultations with Putin in Moscow before heading to Germany, where he met the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz.