Israel too afraid of Russia to seriously help Ukraine, envoy charges

Israel is not helping Ukraine more because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is afraid of Russia and Vladimir Putin, Kyiv's envoy to Jerusalem Yevgen Kornichuk charged in an interview with Ukrainian news outlet GORDON on Tuesday.

Kornichuk attacked Israel for a host of issues including continued cooperation with Russia, lack of aid for Ukrainian refugees and chiefly, being too "afraid" of Russia to help Ukraine in a serious manner.

When asked by the interviewer if Israel is indeed afraid, he answered: "To simplify it completely, then yes. Netanyahu said that they cannot transfer weapons to us because they could end up in the hands of the Iranians...This does not stand up to criticism. 

Kornichuk disputes Israeli claims on lack of aid to Ukraine

"If we are talking about air defense systems, these weapons are located deep in the rear, and there is no way they will fall into the hands of the Russians. Conventionally, to protect Lviv or Chernivtsi, historically Jewish cities, or Uman - in fact, this is what we hoped we could achieve," Kornichuk was quoted by GORDON as saying.

"The Israelis don’t really like it when we bring these issues into the public sphere. In fact, they know exactly what we need from them," the ambassador continued. "And this issue has been discussed more than once at the government level. 

"I must clearly separate two things. The Israeli public treats us very well. The embassy did its own exit polls. We found sponsors to monitor public opinion. More than 85% of Israelis support Ukraine in this war."

Ukraine envoy: Israel-Russia cooperation remains high

Kornichuk attacked Israel on its continued cooperation with Russia, saying it remains "quite high.

"Israel’s trade turnover with the Russian Federation increased last year, not decreased...that is, it is clear that these are deliberate steps. I don’t know how it is now possible to cooperate in the cultural sphere with an aggressor country that behaves using fascist methods.

The ambassador noted that "we did not criticize the Israeli side much, for example, for the fact that direct flights to Moscow continue."

On Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Kornichuk attacked Cohen's initial reaction to the Bucha massacre last year, in which he referred to it as a "natural disaster."

"Cohen comes to Bucha, Borodyanka and says: 'Oh, what horrors...a natural disaster.' He never mentioned the Russian Federation during the press conference in Kyiv! Of course, this approach does not suit me."