Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 2 expressed his willingness to send "military things" to Ukraine, the Times of Israel reported on Feb. 3, citing an official with knowledge of the conversation.
He made the statement during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
But Netanyahu added that Israel could not go “too far without provoking Russia.”
He also told Macron that “it is too early to think about mediation." The prime minister explained that he would not push his role as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine until Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. asked him to do so, the Times of Israel reported.
Netanyahu also 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.
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