Israeli foreign minister arrives in Kyiv for official visit

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen wrote on Twitter on Feb. 16 that he had arrived in Kyiv and was planning to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Feb. 5 that Israel had promised to provide Ukraine with a missile and drone alert system.

The official didn’t provide further details on when the transfer could happen.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a CNN interview published on Feb. 1 that he would consider providing military aid, including Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, to Ukraine.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Israel has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

However, the Israeli government has come under fire for refusing to send weapons to Ukraine in an apparent effort to keep good relations with Russia.

The Israeli government has also introduced restrictions on Ukrainians traveling to Israel despite visa-free travel between the two countries, preventing both refugees and tourists from entering the country.

Meanwhile, relations between Russia and Israel have deteriorated anyway, with the Kremlin cracking down on an organization that helps people of Jewish descent to emigrate to Israel.

On Jan. 28-29, unidentified drones attacked military targets in Iran, an ally of Russia that supplies combat drones to Moscow. Western media have reported that the attack was organized by Israel, which has not commented on the issue.

Editorial: Arming Ukraine won’t escalate war. Reluctance to do so will

The Kyiv Independent