Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday morning Israel will continue to assist in finding a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis, even if chances for success are slim.
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Bennett addressed the weekly cabinet meeting hours after returning from a lightning meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where the two discussed the war with Ukraine. He then traveled to Germany where he met Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to Bennett, he traveled to the countries "with the blessing and encouragement of all the players."
The prime minister revealed no details from his talks with Putin, but called Jerusalem's mediation efforts "our moral duty." Earlier, his office said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone on Sunday morning, the third such call between the two leaders over the past day. Zelenskyy had also spoken with US President Joe Biden on Saturday. The two discussed security, financial support for Ukraine, and the continuation of sanctions against Russia, the Ukrainian president wrote on Twitter.
Bennett also told his cabinet Israel was readying for a wave of Jewish immigration from Ukraine. Israel is also preparing to allow entry to a small number of non-Jewish Ukrainians fleeing the conflict.
The United Nations said in a tweet Sunday that over 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the incursion began, making it Europe's "fastest-growing refugee crisis" since World War II.
Eduard Barusin, an official in one of Ukraine's pro-Russia separatist regions said Sunday that Russian forces will observe a temporary cease-fire on Sunday in the besieged port city of Mariupol and the city of Volnovakha, the BBC reported.
A previous agreement to allow civilians to evacuate was unsuccessful amid continued shelling. Barusin did not specify how long the ceasefire would last.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that evacuations from Mariupol would begin from 12. p.m. local time.
In related news, doctors from Israel are helping Ukrainian refugees from over 1,200 miles away with a "virtual hospital" that allows specialists to provide care to those uprooted by the invasion.
The "virtual hospital" is spearheaded by doctors of the Sheba Medical center, Israel's largest hospital, and the patients are in Ukraine's neighbor Moldova.
"The technological instruments enable me to see, speak, and do most of the physical examinations to patients that need me," Professor Gadi Segal, head of internal telemedicine at Sheba, said.
Using a range of technological solutions -–mostly Israeli innovations – patients can virtually consult with medical professionals for various check-ups, including physical examinations and health vitals.
"Being refugees, they don't have access to their family physician or to primary medicine," Segal explained. "I've been asked about diabetic control, infections, skin rashes, and even general medical issues that are affecting pregnant women."
Sheba has a liaison in Moldova who identifies refugees seeking medical attention and connects them with the Sheba specialists.
"What she has with her are several technologies that help us provide communication and examinations," Galia Barkai, head of Sheba Beyond, told i24NEWS. "[We] can listen to the heart and lungs of patients… see the throat and ears for rashes. Doctors can see… about 13 vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen situations."
"This breaks all the borders," Barkai said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said on Sunday that over 11,000 Russian troops have been killed since Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24. It did not report Ukrainian casualties.
In Russia, monitoring group OVD-Info said on Sunday that over 600 demonstrators across 21 Russian cities have been arrested after opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who is currently imprisoned in Moscow, urged Russians to protest the war in Ukraine, according to the BBC.
At least 8,000 protesters have been detained or arrested in Russia since the war began, OVD-Info said. Global demonstrations against Russia's actions in Ukraine continued globally as well.
On Saturday,Zelenskyy said he had spoken to US President Joe Biden and discussed security, financial support for Ukraine and the continuation of sanctions against Russia.
"As part of the constant dialogue, I had another conversation with the President," he wrote on Twitter.
Zelenskyy also spoke with US lawmakers, to help get more warplanes to his military and cut off Russian oil imports as Kyiv tries to stave off the Russian invasion. He opened the private video call with US lawmakers by telling them this may be the last time they see him alive. He has remained in Kyiv which has a vast Russian armored column threatening from the north.
Appearing in what is now his trademark army-green shirt in front of a white wall with the Ukrainian flag, he told them Ukraine needs to secure its skies, either through a no-fly zone enforced by NATO or through the provision of more warplanes so Ukraine could better defend itself. Zelenskyy has been pleading for a no-fly zone for days, but NATO has refused, saying it could provoke a widespread war with Russia.
"President Zelenskyy made a desperate plea," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
He said Zelenskyy wants the US to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern European allies. "I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer," Schumer said.
The US is considering sending American-made F-16s as backfill to former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe that are now members of NATO. They, in turn, would send Ukraine their own Soviet-era MiGs, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly.
There appears to be a logistical problem, however, in sending the F-16s to Poland or other East European allies because of a production backlog. These countries would essentially have to give their MiGs to the Ukrainians and accept an IOU from the US for the F-16s. The situation is further complicated because the next shipment of F-16s is set for Taiwan, and Congress would be reluctant to delay those deliveries as it eyes China.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated the fighter jets are under consideration after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba at the Poland-Ukraine border outside the town of Korczowa.
"We are talking about and working on everything," Blinken told reporters, reiterating that US support for Ukraine "not only has been unprecedented, not only is it going to continue, it's going to increase."
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