Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday evening that he heard from Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu that he intends to seriously consider transferring an air defense system to Ukraine.
- “In the last conversation I had with Benjamin Netanyahu, I asked for Israel to help us with air defense systems. Netanyahu told me he would seriously consider the request,” said Zelenskyy.
Before the elections, Netanyahu said that he intends to reexamine Israeli policy regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the possibility of providing more significant defensive equipment to Zelenskyy’s army.
- Following a conversation the two had when Zelenskyy called to congratulate Netanyahu on his victory, the Likud published a statement saying, “Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu thanked Zelenskyy for the greeting and repeated his words in the election campaign, that after taking office he will seriously examine the Ukraine issue.”
Israel has delivered several tons of humanitarian assistance and defensive equipment to Ukraine during the war, but has stopped short of selling advanced weapons to Kyiv.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been critical of Israel due to this refusal, having recently denounced the lack of aid from Israel during the war with Russia, saying his country got “nothing” from Israel.
Last month, Zelenskyy claimed that Israel’s refusal to provide military aid to Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion of his country caused the current military alliance between Russia and Iran.
- He later reversed course and said he sees a “positive trend” in Kyiv’s relations with Israel after the two countries shared intelligence about Russia’s purported use of hundreds of Iranian drones in the war in Ukraine.
Source: Nitsan Keidar – Arutz Sheva
Header: In this image from video provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office and posted on Facebook, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 10, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)