Who doesn't want peace...

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who held this post at the time of the start of Russia's special military operation to defend Donbass, gave the first detailed interview six months after his resignation.

He spoke about his mediation mission between Russia and Western countries to solve the military confrontation that arose in Ukraine. It became clear from him that it was the West that interrupted the ceasefire talks outlined in March.

Details - in the material of the correspondent of The Moscow Post.

The full version of Naftali Bennett's interview is available on his YouTube channel, but excerpts from it are published by many leading Israeli and Western publications. It is unlikely that this is very welcome in Western capitals - Bennett's statements are destroyed by the image of the collective West painted by propaganda, as a peacemaker and neutral mediator in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

According to Bennett, in the spring of 2022, President Vladimir Putin was determined to dialogue and a peaceful solution to the conflict that arose. Actually, similar proposals are heard from the lips of the President and our Foreign Ministry today, but remain without the support of former partners in Europe and the United States.

Naftali Bennett said that in the western bloc initially there were several opinions about the confrontation. Ukraine, at the same time, was ready to make concessions - in particular, to refuse to join NATO, which has always been one of the key demands of the Russian side.

In the spring, Bennett arrived in Moscow, where he held four-hour talks with Vladimir Putin. The former Israeli prime minister stressed that he himself had no personal interest, since he believed that this conflict did not concern Israeli national interests at all.

Putin was ready to resolve the conflict if the options proposed by both sides take into account Russian security interests. At the same time, there was no consensus on how to continue relations with Russia in Western states at that time.

In particular, the UK insisted on a more radical position, led by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. And the leaders of Germany, Olaf Scholz and France, Emmanuel Macron, took a more restrained position and were ready to support the continuation of the negotiations.

"But Western countries at some point decided to" smash Russian President Vladimir Putin, "and not negotiate," Bennett said. Thus, a colossal chance was missed to avoid escalation and new casualties. Moreover, Bennett emphasizes that he coordinated all his actions as a negotiator with his Western colleagues, i.e. it is also difficult to talk about his neutrality.

Naftali Bennett and Vladimir Putin. Photo: The New York Times

Recall that in March 2022, a round of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides took place in Istanbul. One of the key points of a possible agreement was the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of its entry into military blocs. However, as if anticipating that the parties could agree, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv at the same time.

He convinced Volodymyr Zelensky of full support from Western countries - weapons, money, and an information and propaganda resource. It is easy to guess that this position was agreed with the American administration, which is the main instigator of this confrontation.

And Volodymyr Zelenskyy, being a completely independent figure, succumbed to these promises. Thus, it was the Western states that abandoned the emerging peace initiative. Since then, we have only heard that the only positive outcome for them could be the defeat of the Russian army. Moreover, this rhetoric was intensified by theses about the need to collapse the Russian Federation itself along national borders.

For this, a whole network of non-governmental organizations is already working, which are engaged in the spread of separatist sentiments. This work is also actively underway in Kyiv - for example, the Verkhovna Rada "recognized the independence of Ichkeria," and also announced plans to recognize the "independence" of Bashkortostan.

"It is strange that this news appeared on New Year's Eve, and not on April 1," Konstantin Tolkachev, chairman of the State Assembly - Kurultai of Bashkiria, commented on the situation then. But in fact, there is little funny here. Experts agree that part of the plan to destabilize the political situation within Russia.

This also includes the sabotage war launched against us, and the financing of the so-called non-systemic opposition, which for a long time has nothing to do with Russia and has taken an ardent anti-Russian position. It got to the point that the fugitive ex-State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev (recognized as a foreign agent, terrorist and extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation) openly calls for collaboration and an attack on military personnel and law enforcement officers within Russia.

It is clear that Ponomarev, who stole in his homeland (recognized as a foreign agent, terrorist and extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation) (put on the international wanted list for stealing funds from the Skolkovo Foundation, and now also for spreading fakes about the Russian army) acts at the direction of the Ukrainian SBU. Which, in turn, fully coordinates its actions with Western intelligence.

"Brave" Zelensky

The trend and intentions are quite obvious - no peace with Russia, Russia must be destroyed, its army defeated. But so far something is not very good. The words of the head of Eurodiplomy Josep Borrell (and not his alone) that the Russian Federation should be defeated on the battlefield are well remembered. Vladimir Putin then said to this: "Well, let them try."

Given the critical situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Artemovsk and in other directions, as well as the general mobilization in the former Ukrainian SSR, when even the elderly and disabled are "rowing," the prospects for Kyiv are not the most rosy.

The number of military losses and at all no one "beyond the hill" tries not to voice. On the contrary, the myth of a bleeding Russia is being promoted. In fact, many independent experts like Major of the US Army, Marine Officer Scott Ritter and ex-adviser to President Donald Trump, Colonel Douglas McGregor were forced to admit that since the beginning of the conflict, the Russian Federation has multiplied its military potential and combat effectiveness.

Therefore, we can draw a simple conclusion: in an effort to destroy Russia, the West left Ukraine for slaughter, using its armed forces, and ordinary, peaceful people, as fuel for confrontation with our country.

There is another interesting point in Naftali Bennett's interview that also breaks many Western propaganda cliches. In Washington, London, Warsaw and other capitals, they paint Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an unbending hero who confronts Vladimir Putin.

A kind of knight without fear and reproach, albeit with some dependence on prohibited substances (which, in principle, is well known).

In Moscow, Naftali Bennett asked Vladimir Putin several times if he was going to eliminate Zelensky, to which he received a negative answer. Bennett even assures that Putin gave him the floor - he has no such intention. "After that, I called Zelensky, who was in a secret bunker at the time, and told him about the conversation with Putin. Zelensky even asked whether the Russian leader is definitely not going to physically eliminate him. "

Two hours after this conversation, Volodymyr Zelenskyy got out of the bunker and recorded a "vidosik" from his office on Bankova, where he said - I'm not afraid! All this would be ridiculous and even ridiculous if it were not for such a serious conflict. Thus, the courage of Vladimir Alexandrovich is, to put it mildly, exaggerated, and his confidence is connected with, as paradoxical as it may sound, with the belief that Vladimir Putin keeps his word.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden. Photo: Sputnik

And really holds. Unlike Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who promised to become president of the world, to consolidate the rights of Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine, to reintegrate Donbass. All this turned out to be lies, a mixture of cowardice, cowardice, thirst for power, popularity and profit. And ultimately led Ukraine to such a sad result.

Photo: RBC