Israeli Prime Minister Breaks Sabbath to Meet With Putin in Effort to De-escalate Ukraine Crisis

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin in effort to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine, his office confirmed on Saturday. While Israel has stated its support of Ukraine, supplying humanitarian aid to the country, Bennett has been in talks with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in hopes of securing a ceasefire between the two countries after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in late February. The trip was planned following a call Bennett had with Putin on Wednesday, according to Axios. Bennett’s office also defended the prime minister, who is an observant Jew, for flying on the Sabbath, stating that Judaism allows this when trying to “preserve human life.”