The Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, gave an interview to the online Ukrainian outlet Mirror of the Week in which he criticized the Ukrainian government for their support of 90% of anti-Israel decisions in the United Nations.
“This is unusual considering Kyiv often turns to the Israeli authorities for various requests. If Ukraine considers Israel a friendly state and turns to it with requests, then your country should support my country in matters important to us, just as Israel acts in relation to Ukraine in matters vitally important to you,” Brodsky said.
In January, Ukraine voted against Israel in the draft vote referring Israel to the International Court of Justice for its “occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.” Ukraine chose not to cast a vote in the main round after its ambassador to Israel was summoned.
Ukraine also supported 2022 resolutions calling for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, and another for an international conference on Israeli-Palestinian peace in Moscow.
Israel has nevertheless supported pro-Ukraine measures in the UN, including a nonbinding resolution on the first anniversary of the war that called for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.
Israel has garnered criticism from Ukraine for not providing lethal aid. Israel has, however, provided ample humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
“This is due to our sensitivity in relations with Russia and the danger that may arise if Israel takes any careless steps that could lead to an aggravation of the situation,” Brodsky explained in the interview. He added that Israel is in the process of supplying Ukraine with an early warning system that should be operational by September.
“It is necessary to create a new system based on the Israeli one,” he said. “It is necessary to take into account the size of Ukraine, the peculiarities and threats it faces.”
“The schedule for the transfer of the system was agreed upon by the two parties, specialists from Israel and Ukraine meet, work, and actively do everything to make this system work here as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I think the most important thing in the current situation is that our sympathy for Ukraine and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky is not connected with his Jewish roots, but with the fact that your country has been subjected to aggression and is experiencing a colossal tragedy,” he said.
The difficult relations between the two countries were further highlighted last Wednesday when Ukrainian President Vlodomir Zelensky said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been invited to Ukraine but, unlike other world leaders, did not take up the offer.
“Mr. Netanyahu has been invited to Kyiv… I invited the other two prime ministers who used to be before Mr. Netanyahu to Ukraine,” Zelensky said, referring to former premier Naftali Bennett and now-opposition leader Yair Lapid. “So far, the prime ministers are different — the result is the same.”
Zelensky also said that Netanyahu refused to provide Ukraine with an anti-air system.
“We asked in the beginning of the war, the result is just the same as with the prime ministers,” he said. Months have passed with no outcome, unfortunately.”
“Ukraine is really interested in preserving the important, historical, close connections between our states. Unfortunately, we don’t have any results so far.”
