Zelensky seeking Netanyahu visit to Kyiv
There are currently no concrete plans for Netanyahu to visit Ukraine, which has lobbied hard for Jerusalem to up its level of aid, including providing defensive weaponry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told visiting Israeli officials that he would like to see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit Kyiv, an Israeli diplomat told The Times of Israel last week.
Zelensky first extended the informal invitation during a meeting last month with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. He reiterated the invitation during an hour-long discussion with Likud’s Yuli Edelstein and National Unity MK Ze’ev Elkin last week, said the Israeli official.
The official said there are currently no concrete plans for Netanyahu to visit Ukraine, which has lobbied hard for Jerusalem to up its level of aid, including providing defensive weaponry.
Another Israeli official told The Times of Israel last week that Zelensky is not interested in a photo opportunity with Netanyahu, but would host him if Israel delivers on recent promises for more aid to Kyiv.
Ukraine is also asking Israel to speed up delivery of a civilian early warning system that Jerusalem has promised to provide in lieu of anti-missile systems. While in Kyiv, Cohen said it would take between three to six months for the system to arrive.
Kyiv and the West have pushed for Israel to provide elements of its vaunted missile defence array, saying it could save countless lives from Russian rocket attacks on civilian homes and infrastructure.
The airstrike warning system would be similar to the technology Israel uses to warn civilians of rocket attacks.
Israel has bucked repeated requests from Ukraine for military support, arguing that it needs to maintain a working relationship with Russia, which controls the skies over Syria that Israel uses to prevent Iran from establishing a military presence on its northern border.
Thus far, Israel has agreed to provide Ukraine with $22.5 million in humanitarian aid, and set up a field hospital to treat injured Ukrainians during the early days of the war. Last week, Cohen announced new measures of support, including a $200 million loan guarantee for healthcare and civilian infrastructure.
Last week, Elkin and Edelstein called for Israel to provide significantly more support to Kyiv, including military assistance, one of the first calls by lawmakers – in the coalition or the opposition – for Israel to take a more unequivocal position on the war.
“We support tangible cooperation between Israel and Ukraine in air defence and missile defence and in more defensive measures,” they told Zelensky, according to a joint statement.
TIMES OF ISRAEL
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