Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that he was attempting to assist in mediations between Russia and Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion of their neighbor to the West.
Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting Bennett said his meeting on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin had received the go ahead from "all the players," although the chances for success were not great.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday
"I returned from Moscow and Berlin a few hours ago. I traveled there to help," Bennett said shortly after completing a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the third between the two leaders in less than 24 hours.
"As we all know, the situation on the ground in not good," he said. "Human suffering is great and could be greater if things continue on the same track."
The UN said on Sunday that some 1.5 million Ukrainians have already left the country and are refugees.
The prime minister added that despite the low chances of success, "Even the slightest in, and we have access to all sides to the conflict, our moral duty is to leave no stone unturned."
Bennett said Israel was preparing for a substantial increase in Jewish immigration. "Authorities are preparing scenarios for absorbing different amounts of immigrants and they will present them to the cabinet later in the week," he said.
"This is a challenge, but one that Israel has faced several times in the past," he said. "Moments such as these, when the world faces a crisis and Jews are no longer safe where they are, remind us all of the importance of a homeland for Jews."