Israel does not intend to discuss with Kiev about its policy in providing assistance to Ukraine, since Israel has already chosen the "right side of history" and has repeatedly expressed its position on the Ukrainian conflict, including in defense of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, said on Sunday in interview with Israeli army radio Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, commenting on the reproaches of the Ukrainian embassy that Tel Aviv has embarked on the path of close cooperation with Moscow.
"I do not intend to stoop to this discourse. I have stated that we support the sovereignty and (territorial) integrity of Ukraine. We voted (for Ukraine) at the UN, (Israeli) soldiers met with Ukrainian soldiers, and we provide humanitarian assistance. Israel is on right side of the story," Cohen said.
Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian embassy in Tel Aviv issued a statement blaming the Israeli leadership for not doing enough to help Kiev in its conflict with Russia. The Ukrainian embassy said that "the current Israeli government has chosen the path of close cooperation with the Russian Federation," adding that Israeli humanitarian aid to Kyiv is "practically absent."
Cohen's recent visit to Kyiv was called "fruitless" at the embassy, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's arguments about the reasons for refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine were "fictitious and speculative."
The statement of the Ukrainian embassy in Israel emphasizes that "the Israeli leadership, under the guise of verbal demagogy about its neutrality, is actively building relations with Russia." "In reality, on the ground, the so-called "neutrality" of the Israeli government is seen as a clear pro-Russian position," the diplomatic mission says.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel called on the Israeli government to change its position and support Kyiv with defensive means. "We expect Israel to stand on the right side of history," the statement said.
Israel is among the countries that have condemned the Russian special operation in Ukraine, but the previous and current Israeli governments have consistently refrained from supplying military aid and weapons to Kyiv, limiting themselves to humanitarian supplies.
The Israeli foreign ministry plans to summon Ukrainian Ambassador Yevgeny Kornichuk following the trenchant criticism from the Ukrainian diplomatic mission, The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday.
ReplyDelete"The Foreign Ministry plans to summon Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk for a reprimand after the embassy released a strong statement opposing Israel’s policy on the war in his country," it said.
Представитель МИД Израиля подтвердил РИА Новости, что внешнеполитическое ведомство вызовет посла Украины Евгения Корнийчука после заявления посольства Украины в Тель-Авиве, в котором позиция Израиля по украинском конфликту была названа "пророссийской", а в адрес правительства еврейского государства содержались упреки по поводу "практически отсутствующей" помощи Киеву.
ReplyDeleteРанее в воскресенье на закрытом брифинге для израильских журналистов глава МИД страны Эли Коэн сообщил, что украинский посол будет вызван в МИД для вынесения выговора, назвав заявление посольства Украины "резким и неприемлемым".