 Day four of the war in Europe and Russia maintains its assault on Ukraine. I'm Ariel Margulis Thank you for staying with us here on I-24 news as our coverage Continues of that war in Ukraine and the invasion of Russian forces into the country Ukrainian reports indicate there have been nearly 200 dead in Ukraine including young children overnight as a Barmen of Kiev continues according to the mayor of Harkiv in the east the city remains in Ukrainian hands the Ukrainian Defense Ministry claims that 4,300 Russian soldiers have been killed so far Russia has not confirmed the numbers on its behalf Today the Russians sent a negotiating team to Minsk in Belarus But the Ukrainians refused to meet them there considering it an unsafe zone under the puppet regime of Putin in Belarus President Lukashenko of Belarus issued a warning today to the west that the emerging Sanctions will push Russia to a world war Meanwhile some 150,000 Ukrainians have already fled into neighboring countries Romania Moldova Poland among others President Zelensky called on his countrymen to join the fight and a curfew in major cities was enforced through Monday morning Ukraine was a Jistok The last night in Ukraine was brutal. There were shelling again Bombarding of residential areas civil infrastructures There is not a single facility in our country that the occupants consider an acceptable target Deputed Style actions have not come from your territory. It would have been possible to talk in Minsk your city When you were neutral we talked in Minsk we met many times and this is the right thing to do It's true. It's how we should talk as neighbors, but right now you have not made your most important choice And it must depend on you not on Russia not on Ukraine Not on the US, but on Belarusian people And Russia's president Vladimir Putin under harsh banking sanctions from the US and the EU also spoke earlier today I Would like to thank the command and personal staff the special operation forces the veterans of the special forces for their faith in the mission and Perfect service for the benefit of the Russian people in our great homeland Special thanks to those who are currently performing their duty in a heroic way during the operation to provide assistance to the Republics of the Donbass region an RPR caution blur is in Odessa reporting on the Jewish community there Here's the report he submitted Who makes peace in these high places May he bring peace upon us and upon all Israel and say amen What remains of the 35,000 strong Jewish community of Odessa during a morning prayer Praying first for the Jews of Ukraine, especially for their fellow Jewish community members in Kharkiv Currently enduring the Russian army on sloth We also obviously pray for the fate of the Ukrainian nation as a whole We also pray for peace in the world. We pray for the fate of Jews in Ukraine There are four synagogues in Odessa But 20 to 30 percent of the whole Odessian Jewish community have left and have sought a safe haven in surrounding villages of For those who have a passport in nearby Moldova Ukrainian Jews can't leave because most don't have a passport those who have one have already left Elizabeth Bontarchik is an Israeli citizen from Jerusalem She found some comforts here as she came to Odessa in October of last year Because her son Eugene an opera singer here was dying from a heart ailment He survived but is diminished. They're waiting for evacuation to Moldova Maybe tomorrow. I dreamt to go to Israel of course to come home back Because I have nobody in the world except my son and me and They have no help. No people even to cry to share all my troubles These are full. These were four months of full aloneness Absolutely This except this place except this synagogue. This is the only place Where I had the support the care and Some once We have developed a support system. We deliver food to anyone who calls us meals or provisions water Anything we can do for them We also helped all those who wanted to cross the border and to ask us for help with buses under local police escort We help anyone who wants to flee. We do not encourage people to flee but we offer them the possibility That's it. Pierre Kloschen layer I 24 news Odessa Ukraine And international affairs correspondent Owen Ulterman joins me now in studio Owen Let's begin with recent developments here in Jerusalem Putin discusses over the phone today with bennett And prime minister bennett apparently according to the kremlin at least offered to assist in negotiations between the two countries Let's listen in Here too as in the rest of the world We are dealing with the difficult events in Ukraine The government will receive an update on the developments today and later We will hold a discussion in the security cabinet and discuss the issue comprehensively First I want to express hope on behalf of all the citizens of Israel that this conflict will be resolved before the war develops further And there will be more serious humanitarian consequences than we can imagine We pray for the well-being of the citizens of Ukraine and hope that it will prevent further bloodshed We behave in a measured and responsible manner In the coming days a plane carrying hundreds of tons of Israeli humanitarian aid will arrive in Ukraine for civilians who are in the battle zones and also for those who are trying to leave Owen what puts bennett of all leaders in the world in a good position To be a negotiator Yeah, those statements of course the statements by the prime minister at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting Where of course he addressed the situation Ukraine a big 24 hours friend of tally Bennett, right? He spoke with Ukrainian president Zelensky and now with Vladimir Putin a world leader who's gotten both of them on the phone Obviously a major coup for the Israeli prime minister's office First of all, we'll see if bennett's in a unique position We should also add REL according to a diplomatic source here in Jerusalem By the way the official readout from the prime minister office very very brief saying that the call happened And they talked about the situation between russia and ukraine not mentioning more than than that But but the unofficial readout if you will from a diplomatic source Saying that Putin said he was interested in negotiation and Bennett saying well you're interested in negotiation We are happy to do what we can to mediate the conflict to try to bring the two sides closer together And use our unique position to be able to make that happen So according to that even unofficial readout a more circumspect way of saying that israel offered to mediate Of course the kremlins readout much more direct saying that bennett offered to mediate What puts israel in a unique position? Well, we'll see if it is in a unique position We'll see what gladdener putin has to say But it of course has a strong alliance with the united states to say the least and strong relations with the ukrainian So in that sense a connection with that side of the conflict But also a connection with the russian side Long-time good relations with gladdener putin both the bennett is predecessor benjamin It's yow the russian presence in syria Which put gives the israeli policy makers pause because of the need for israel to hit iranian and iranian link targets in syria to israel Trying to be able to balance between the two sides Maybe puts us around a position to mediate. Oh, and you're staying with us We're gonna take a short break when we return. We'll have all the latest and we'll be discussing With some people doing aid work there in ukraine. We'll be right back We're on the inside of political and religious passions in jerusalem Breaking down the financial trends shaping the global economy giving you key context not just headlines With the stories from israel that touch the us and those across the region with impact far beyond its borders Sunday to thursday on i24 news catch the runder where the middle east meets the world What if you could be part of the most important trending conversation Stories happening now right around the globe What divides us what unites us let us take you on an adventure through it all every night here on global life Imagine being able to see into the future What innovations will change the world as we know it join us as we meet the people changing our planet And discover the inventions shaping tomorrow israel business beats sundays and wednesdays 9 30 p.m GMT president Zelensky of ukraine the hero for his people in this battle with russian forces today saying Send ammunition. We don't need a ride in response to assistance offered from western nations of europe Allowing evacuation into their countries. Oh and ultimate is europe sending ammunition A little bit at least the germans have okayed the sending of rpgs to ukraine not not what he means No, he obviously would like to see more but you always want to bargain for more if you're in Zelensky's position Obviously he can use all the help that he can get I will say this ariel the better the ukranians do in the battlefield The more their stock rises so to speak the better the investment seems i suspect the more we'll see weapons being sent in from the outside Obviously these countries are still going to be given pause by the fact that they're going up against the russians And at the end of the day whatever the ukranians may throw at those russian tanks At least some of those russian tanks are going to sadly from the ukranian's perspective Sadly get through and the russians are going to win the war and that that is going to give those western governments pause But the more that the ukranians can at least give a black eye to the russians The more incentive it gives to those countries to support them isn't any venture Investors want to invest in a venture that's succeeding and the more the ukranians can show That they can use these weapons well and they can succeed I think the more successful they'll be in in getting their help from abroad that they want the ride that Zelensky was referring to is what schaltz Chancellor of germany, of course announced regarding how germany will not only increase its defense spending But will also offer free transportation and trains from ukraine to germany. Let's listen in Let's face it. Putin won't change his course overnight But very soon already the russian leadership will notice what a high price it will pay Just last week alone the russian stock market value lost more than 30 percent This shows our sanctions are effective We reserve the ride for further sanctions without any limits There is something else we should not forget In many russian cities people demonstrated against putin's war accepting arrests and punishment This requires a lot of courage President putin should not underestimate our determination to defend every square meter of our alliance's territory together with our allies And finally we decided to quickly build two lng terminals in brunsvutel and willhelm schaven The german parliament they're applauding to those russians who were demonstrating in the streets of russia under putin's dictatorship Oh and ultraman, let's talk about how The middle east and and russia may be and turkey may be as an extension of the middle east into europe Plays a part in this we get some reports today about russ about turkey taking a stance in waters Yeah, yeah obviously here in israel we watch turkish foreign policy very carefully It really bears in our part of the region and this is another vector by the way with which this conflict and the way that this conflict ultimately ends Will impact turkey will impact and through turkey the middle east and the way turkey relates to the middle east so it's quite interesting turkey of course on the one hand a member state of nato with a Rocky shall we say but still alliance with the united states and on the other hand with important ties with russia Again, not without their problems, but turkey imports a lot of russian natural gas takes in a lot of russian tourists Erdogan and putin have found common cause In syria even though they're on different sides of the war coordinating and even turkey is is somewhere in the middle in this Conflict in a way rl similar to the position israel is in geographically turkey Importantly assists astride the dardanelles the sea of marmar the phosphorus that series of waterways That is the only entry point to the black seas if you want to get a boat Into the black sea the only way to do it is through those waterways That turkey borders because that in principle that geography gives turkey so much leverage to essentially choke off the black sea There's an international convention which bars turkey from doing that it's from 1936 called the mantra convention Is this turkey has to let boats through no matter who they are But there's an exception rl the exception is at a time of war Turkey can block vessels of war from going through the streets unless those vessels of war are going to their home bases So if the vessel of war isn't going to its home base Turkey can say you're not allowed to come through our country and the ukrainians have asked the turks to do just that The turks that first came back and said We'll think about it But today sending an interesting signal the spokesperson for turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan ibrahim kaulin coming out and saying on twitter that the ukraine conflict is a quote war Referring to the ukraine war and then taking a stance Against what russia is doing. Why is this significant? It's the first statement from the turkish government that actually calls this a war And that's a predicate allows of course, uh, the forces of turkey to stop At the bosphorus any ship that is making its way into the if the turks want to and that's the shoe that hasn't dropped yet Right or they they haven't dropped that yet. They haven't dropped that shoe yet But by branding this or defining this as a war rl They've taken one step toward doing that. They've basically signaled to gladiary Putin. Hey as far as we're concerned We are allowed to do this. We haven't done it yet But we're allowed to do this so so mr. Putin watch this space Because we're all that thrilled with what you're doing and these other interests are with ukraine rl with the united states and what the west are important to us So obviously we're going to be watching what turkey does and what its signals about the wider Orientation of turkish foreign policy in this conflict with the united states and in the middle east Of course, uh, israeli president isa kerzog Broadly speaking in this context about to make a visit to turkey and in about a week's time And that's going to be closely watched here in israel obviously a very big deal Given all the water under the bridge of israeli turkish relations over the past decade and beyond. Okay. Oh and ultraman. Thank you very much We now want to turn to avi marcus. He's a deputy director of medical division for united hat salam and israeli aid organization He is in kishineau in moldova. Thank you very much for being with us Good afternoon people good afternoon Tell us a little bit about Your activity there in kishineau and how much are you able to do? From moldova Okay, so we're just arriving now In moldova We left the last night at half past 11 We've been on the road so this 11 hours since we landed in romania And we're on a bus In order to arrive at kishineau. We're supposed to meet in about half an hour an hour With the the minister Uh, and the head All the rabbi is here and all the people here in kishineau to understand What what's doing how they're doing what the needs are if it's humanitarian needs if it's food medication Psycho trauma and so on and so forth. Tell us a little bit about your capabilities. Uh, How many people do you have on your team and and what sort of assistance can you offer there on the ground? So we're 15 people on the delegation We have the doctor with three paramedics and the rest of us arrest of medics We have with us monitor the fibrillators medications and we have Also telemetry if we both with us from shiba beyond it came together with us So we have lots of options on the other side is the psycho trauma unit We have several psycho trauma people with us on the team And we have a big team of psycho trauma professionals in israel Assisting us online just in case we need any any anything going through airports in eastern europe Romania making your way through mold of uh now making your way towards kishineau Tell us a little bit about the the scenes I remember flying through At the turk airport in turkey back during the war In syria and seeing so many refugees pass through there. Are you already seeing some of those hundred and fifty thousand refugees that we're hearing across the border? No, not in romania. Not as we crossed the border. We haven't seen anything and now also in kishineau not seeing them around But I understand that there is a big problem of finding places to stay A little hotels here in kishineau are full up and have no place in order to take more refugees And some of them are just sitting in buses waiting to find accommodation and where to eat to sleep And uh, tell us a little bit about where you think you're best positioned To help there on the ground. We know there's of course a connection to the jewish community in ukraine But beyond that you mentioned there's psychological help There is doctors that are on your team and we know that there's a lot of aid that is flowing in now from various Places in the world Where do you think you are most likely to be most beneficial to to those in need there? So once we we arrive at the scene in about half an hour and it's it's all the people here Which I understand what the options are working into helping maybe the hospitals and setting a delegation of boxers and we're looking into going down to the border and and assist at the border with uh with all the people arriving in if they need food or drinks or hugs and kisses or we bought also lots of dolls and Games for the kids coming out of ukraine. So We're trying to we're doing exactly now, but we have lots of things we have an option to assist once it's needed once it's needed Avi Marcus, deputy director of the medical division at united hats a lot. Thank you very much We of course wish you a very good luck there with your blessed work. Thank you very much Uh back to studio oan and to you we're hearing reports now that uh putin is putting nuclear weapons on high alert and he's excusing this Saying that it's in response to to nato aggression. Yeah, it's it's obvious brinkmanship ariel for putin to say this Does he really mean it again? His strategy has been so far to escalate obviously This is a huge escalation in the first place to launch this kind of war again Many people myself included thought that he wasn't actually going to do this that this was part of a bluff That this was something he was setting himself up to do in order to try to win diplomatic gains from the from the west But he's he's moved forward and now feels that he wants to press his advantage maybe it's because of the Obstacles he's facing on the battlefield that he's not able to do it with the tanks that he has there So he needs to raise the ante right in order to try to deter and to try to get an advantage Obviously, this is a breaking story and we'll have to understand more exactly about Obviously the message he's sending is clear about his but his real intentions about what he wants to do I suspect there's going to be a lot of expertise devoted to trying to decode just that Thank you very much. Oh, and I want to turn to jiles gibson and mosco. He's an effecent correspondent there jiles On the same point we're hearing reports from the associated press that uh putin is saying that he should uh The europe should not be surprised if he puts uh, uh the nuclear weapons on in preparedness Can you explain how quickly this could even deteriorate a scenario where Nuclears are included and and how important is the use of this jargon? What do you think he's signaling? Well, what we're hearing from russian officials is that they are open to some sort of diplomacy With the ukrainians. They've said that they have sent a delegation into a city on the ukrainian bellarussian border They set a deadline for talks to start with the ukrainians Which passed just around an hour and a half ago However, just in the last few minutes, we've actually had a member of the russian delegation claiming via russian state media That the ukrainians have actually agreed To travel to that city on the ukrainian bellarussian border to hold talks now We have to be very very cautious About these reports in russian state media really because the ukrainians themselves have absolutely not confirmed That they've agreed to any sort of talks with the russians and earlier. We had uh, president vodomir zelensky Of ukraine pretty much dismissing the idea of holding talks with the russians in bellarus out of hand Saying that they are quotes complicit in this invasion of ukraine Saying that ballistic missiles for example have been fired From bellarus into ukraine the ukrainians are now saying in the last few hours that they are open to holding some talks on a Neutral venue, so they're suggesting for example Istanbul in turkey or vienna in austria to host these talks But as we're saying just in the last few minutes Some claims from russian officials via russian state media that the ukrainians have agreed to some talks and are traveling to bellarus That's as i mentioned is is still very much unconfirmed at this stage Okay, we'll have to see if these reports are confirmed We haven't heard any confirmation from ukraine that they're willing to go to bellarus as you mentioned Giles Gibson in moscow. Thank you very much And thank you owen for being with us here in studio to shed some light on the developments in ukraine That's it for now. Thank you our viewers for watching wherever you are We hope that you're keeping well and safe Our thoughts are with the people on the ground in ukraine suffering from war wherever it happens Thank you very much