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Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for the first visit by his country’s senior official in Ukraine since the start of the Russian military operation almost a year ago.
Cohen is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, according to the ‘Jerusalem Post’ newspaper.
Opening of the Israeli embassy
Cohen will also participate in the reopening of the Israeli embassy in Kiev, closed due to the war.
“Over the past year, Israel has stood by Ukraine and its people,” the paper quoted Cohen as saying.
He added: “Today we will raise the Israeli flag over the embassy in Kiev, which will return to its activity with the aim of strengthening relations between the two countries.”
Interestingly, press reports claimed last month that the US had sent stockpiles of munitions that had been stored in Israel for Ukraine to use in its war against Russia, stating that at the time the decision was made last year during the reign of then- Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
Israel’s position on the war
From the outset, Israel has been content to condemn the Russian military operation in Ukraine started almost a year ago, limiting its assistance to Kiev to humanitarian aid and protective equipment, and excluding the direct supply of weapons.
Israelis want to maintain a direct line for coordination with Russia, established in 2015, in regarding their military strikes against Iranian targets in Syria, where a Moscow unit is stationed. They also keep in mind the safety of Russia’s large Jewish community, Reuters reported in precedence.
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