[ad_1]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview aired on Tuesday that he was considering military aid to Ukraine and offered to act as a mediator after the United States called for more active engagement.
Netanyahu makes no firm commitment to Ukraine Israel Maintains relations with Russia, which controls airspace in neighboring Syria and turns a blind eye to Israeli attacks on targets in sworn enemy Iran.
read| US Blinken urges Israelis, Palestinians not to ‘escalate tensions’
Netanyahu was asked in an interview with CNN whether Israel could provide aid to Ukraine, such as Iron Dome, the U.S.-backed technology that protects Israel from airstrikes.
“Well, of course I will investigate,” Netanyahu said.
He confirmed that the United States had transferred a little-known artillery stockpile it had based in Israel to Ukraine, and saw the Jewish state’s own actions against Iran as part of a similar effort.
“The U.S. just took a lot of Israeli ammunition and transferred it to Ukraine. And frankly, Israel also took action against Iran’s weapons production against Ukraine in ways I won’t list here,” he said.
Ukrainian and Western officials say Iran has sold low-cost drones to Russia to use in the invasion of Ukraine, although Tehran denies the claims.
Netanyahu said he was asked to mediate in an unofficial role following Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine but was not pursued because he was in opposition at the time.
He said he was open to mediation if requested by the parties and the United States.
“I’ve been around long enough to know there has to be a right time and the right circumstances. If they come up, I’ll definitely think about them,” he said.
Netanyahu said he believed the Ukraine war was of “enormous importance,” but added: “We have our own backyard to deal with.”
The remarks came after a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who called for calm following the outbreak of violence between Israel and the Palestinians and urged Israel to increase its support for Ukraine.
Using language familiar to Israelis, Blinken said Ukraine needed assistance “because it courageously defends its people and their right to exist.”
read| Thousands of Israelis protest Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Blinken he would travel to Ukraine to reopen the Israeli embassy, the first such visit since the war.
In March, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made a surprise visit to Moscow to mediate with Putin.
Bennett relayed Putin’s message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but was unsuccessful in arranging direct talks.
subsection/subsection
[ad_2]
Source link