Germany and Israel press for more Russia-Ukraine peace talks

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday underlined their commitment to securing further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Scholz's visit was planned before fighting erupted in Ukraine, where Russia's invasion is in its seventh day.

What did Scholz and Bennett say? 

Scholz said the chance to visit Israel had been particularly important to him.

"Despite the current situation in the world, I've decided to pay this visit now, and it was the right thing to do."

He reaffirmed Germany's commitment to Israel's security, saying Germany's responsibilities had been made clear to him once again by a visit to Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. "You can rely on it. Germany will continue to be steadfast at Israel's side."

The chancellor also said both countries were keen to work toward further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

"The news coming from Ukraine right now is dreadful. We're seriously concerned about how this conflict is going to develop, and this is why we need to do everything possible to try to effect a change in this situation.

"Of course, the issue now is that diplomacy gets another big chance," Scholz continued. "I'm very thankful that both of us are going to do what we can to make sure that talks between Ukraine and Russia will soon be continued."

He again called on Russia to immediately cease all hostilities. 

"Attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians must stop," he stressed.

Bennett said it was Israel's "duty to do everything we can do to end the bloodshed."

"It is not too late." However, he said, given Israel's experience of war: "Unfortunately, it can get much worse."

The German chancellor addressed the issue of a new Iran nuclear agreement — something staunchly opposed by Israel — saying it "cannot be postponed any longer." 

"Now is the time to make a decision," Scholz told reporters about the talks in Austria's capital. "This must not be postponed any longer."

Bennett said Israel was following the talks in Vienna with concern. Israel, he said, would not allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons status.

How Germany and Israel differ on Ukraine

Both Scholz and Bennett are relatively new to office and both follow long-serving predecessors, Angela Merkel and Benjamin Netanyahu respectively.

Amid rapidly moving events in Ukraine, both have taken a distinctive approach.

Since Russia launched its invasion last week, Scholz's coalition government has reversed a ban on sending weapons into conflict zones.

It has also halted the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany, and pledged to spend more than 2% of Germany's gross domestic product on defense annually.

Israel has taken a more guarded approach, highlighting its warm relations with both Kyiv and Moscow.

Given that balancing act, Bennett has been mentioned by Zelenskyy as a possible mediator in the war.

Scholz's schedule also includes talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and a visit to Israel's parliament, the Knesset.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Jewish people around the world to speak out. The plea came after a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv television tower that was built on the site of a World War II massacre of Jews by German troops.

Managers of the nearby Babi Yar Holocaust memorial said parts of the facility had been damaged by a fire started after those attacks.

Talks on Iran

Apart from the unfolding war in Ukraine, the Iranian nuclear program also figured high on the agenda of Scholz's visit. 

Currently, talks with Iran are underway in Vienna to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The United Kingdom, China, France, Germany and Russia are in direct talks with their Iranian counterparts. The United States, which withdrew from the agreement in 2018, is an indirect partner.

Scholz said a new Iran deal could not be postponed "any longer." 

"Now is the time to make a decision," Scholz said. "Now is the time to finally say yes to something that represents a good and reasonable solution." 

Prime Minister Bennett has repeatedly insisted that Israel, which is not a party to the talks, is not bound by any agreement and opposes it.

In the decades that followed the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany murdered 6 million Jews, Germany and Israel have become allies.

Successive German governments have viewed it as a key responsibility to ensure Israel's right to exist and to protect its security.

The cabinets of both countries hold regular joint sessions, and Germany is Israel's most important European Union trade partner.

rc/rt (AFP, AP, dpa)