Members of the Territorial Defence Force stand guard at a check point, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, at the Independence Square in central Kyiv, Ukraine, March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday condemned Russia’s conflict with Ukraine and urged a diplomatic resolution, as Jerusalem continued mediation efforts between the warring parties.

“Like Romania, Israel condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Lapid said from Bucharest, where he met with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu. “It’s without justification, and we call on Russia to stop its firing and attacks, and to resolve this conflict around the negotiating table.”

“Israel will do all it can to help reach a peaceful solution,” he added. “We are working in complete coordination with our ally, the United States, and with our European partners in order to try and end this violent tragedy as quickly as possible.”

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday evening spoke again with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after the latter said he was prepared to hold peace talks in Jerusalem. During the conversation, which lasted for over an hour, the leaders discussed “ways to stop the fighting in Ukraine and the efforts that Israel is making on the matter,” Bennett stated.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said Sunday that Israel and Turkey were working as mediators to determine a location and framework for peace negotiations with Russia, Reuters reported.

In a separate meeting on Sunday with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, Lapid thanked the country for its assistance and close cooperation with Israeli diplomatic personnel during the current crisis.

“The Romanian government has been working closely with us and was extremely helpful in saving many lives,” Lapid said at the meeting with Aurescu. “Jewish children from an orphanage in Odessa, children with cancer who have been sent to Israel for treatment, and thousands of refugees that have escaped through the Siret crossing… their lives have been saved by the cooperation between us.”

Speaking at the Jewish Agency Aliyah Center in Bucharest, Lapid told new immigrants who fled the war in Ukraine that Israel will also be their home.

“You have one advantage that no one else has, and that’s the fact that apart from the home you left, you have another home waiting for you,” Lapid said. “That is why the State of Israel was established. You don’t feel this way yet, but you and I are sons and daughters of the same country. When you land at Ben Gurion Airport [in Israel], something strange will happen to you, and you will feel at home.”

The center is one of several that were set up in cooperation with the International Fellowship of Christians & Jews in the countries bordering Ukraine to absorb the wave of Jewish refugees and assist those seeking to immigrate to Israel. There are four Jewish Agency Aliyah Centers in Bucharest, where about 1,000 Ukrainian refugees reside.

Lapid is scheduled to meet with Slovakia’s president and foreign minister in Bratislava on Monday.