Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told USA Today Friday that he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin reconsiders his war with Ukraine and said he would help mediate the situation if he were to return to office.
“If I become prime minister, that question presumably will come up again,” Netanyahu told the publication. “And I hope he's having second thoughts about it. But I don't want to play psychologist.
"I want to be in the position of being prime minister, getting all the information, then making decisions on what and if we do anything in this conflict beyond what has been done so far.”
Netanyahu said in the report that he believes Putin is “guided by his vision of reconstituting a great Russian realm,” and as prime minister, he would consider Israel sending weapons to Ukraine to help in the war effort.
Netanyahu is now the opposition leader in Israel after serving the longest tenure in the country’s history as prime minister with the majority Likud Party, which ended in 2021 when a new coalition formed, and Naftali Bennett became alternate prime minister with Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
According to the report, White House spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that other nations should decide what help they can offer to Ukraine on their own.
"And part of the calculus with which they make these decisions is preserving their own national security," he said in the report. "So, we respect that. And Israel should have the right to speak to what they're willing to do or not willing to do without judgment, because it's got to be a decision that they make."
Polling for upcoming elections show neither Netanyahu or his opponent, Lapid, have the support to form a coalition, which could bring about a sixth round of elections, according to the publication.
Reuters reported Thursday that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked Lapid for missile defense systems and technology.
"I informed him [about the] unspeakable suffering, loss of life, and destruction caused by Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones," Reuters reported that Kuleba tweeted.
So far, Israel has condemned Russia for the invasion, but has not supplied weapons to Ukraine, the report said.
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