Ukraine is calling on the United States to pressure Israel to provide aid to the army, Kyiv’s envoy to Jerusalem told US media on Sunday.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, told Washington-based news outlet The Hill that he holds weekly meetings with U. S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nestes as part of a procedure to pressure Israel to send defense material to Ukraine.
“I’m kidding, though, I call it our secret weapon. That is why we are discussing the various measures and, again, we want to replace this main trend that makes Israel’s position different from the rest of the democratic world, and have more military. technical cooperation,” Korniychuk said.
Although Jerusalem has sent several shipments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Israel has rejected Kyiv’s requests for defensive weapons, that is, missile defense systems that can be used to repel Russian bombing, despite its sympathy for the country’s fate.
Israel’s refusal is perceived as an attempt through Jerusalem to maintain relations with Moscow because of Russia’s airspace over Syria, where the Israeli Air Force has conducted many raids to prevent Tehran-backed teams from taking hold and blocking alleged Iranian weapons. deliveries. terrorist equipment.
Israeli officials have also expressed fears that the generation of a complex army could fall into enemy hands, citing production and source constraints.
However, there are signs that Jerusalem’s relief efforts are expanding amid reports that Russia has begun using suicide drones won from Israel’s regional rival Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that relations between Israel and Ukraine had begun to improve, bringing up intelligence cooperation between the countries regarding Iranian-made Shahed drones used during the war by the Kremlin.
Korniychuk also said there has been progress “on some defense-related technical issues,” namely in relation to Israel’s bid to supply its missile precaution formula technology.
“Especially now, when Russia joins Iran, it triggers, of course, much greater tensions between Israeli politicians and army experts, and [people on the street] to help Ukraine, just because, eventually, Iran becomes part of the opposing coalition. to Ukraine,” Korniychuk told The Hill, bringing up Israel’s growing fear about Moscow’s ties with Tehran.
He added that he hoped Israel would be convinced to supply anti-missile and anti-drone systems after the Nov. 1 elections.
In addition, the Ukrainian envoy said he seeks Washington’s help in pressuring Israel to enforce the Western sanctions regime.
Israel has still joined the action because lately there is no legal framework in the Jewish state that allows sanctions on the assets and citizens of a state that is explained by law as an enemy country. In theory, such a law could be passed in the future.
However, Israel has vowed to abide by foreign blacklists and ensure that it does not occupy a position in which sanctioned Russians can circumvent Western measures.
“The sanctions factor is also and the Americans are in a much better position to determine whether the Israelis are complying with those sanctions or not,” Korniychuk said.
A Treasury Department spokesperson told The Hill that they are working with several countries, Israel, to “cut channels for Russia to evade foreign sanctions and export controls. “
The Times of Israel contributed to this report.
I joined The Times of Israel after many years of American and Israeli policy for Hebrew-language media.
I that guilty policy of Israeli politicians means presenting a 360-degree view of their words and movements, not only conveying what is happening, but also what it means in the broader context of Israeli society and the region.
It’s hard to do because you can rarely take politicians literally: you have to go the extra mile to provide full context and try to triumph over your own biases.
I am proud of our paintings that tell the story of Israeli politics in a direct and comprehensive way. I believe that Israel is more powerful and more democratic when professional bloodhounds get these deceptive paintings right.
His of our paintings through joining the network paintings of The Times of Israel allows us to continue doing so.
Thank you, Tal Schneider, political correspondent.
That’s why we introduced The Times of Israel ten years ago: to provide discerning readers like you with the must-have politics of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other media outlets, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become vital to help our paintings join the Times of Israel community.
For just $6 a month, you can help our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, and access exclusive content only for members of The Times of Israel community.
Thank you, David Horovitz, founding editor of The Times of Israel.