Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his country could prepare military aid for Ukraine, but offered to act as a mediator in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, AFP and Agerpres reported.
“Well, I will definitely look into that,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN, which asked him if Israel planned to provide Ukraine with assistance, such as its Iron Dome air defense system.
For now, Netanyahu has refrained from taking a hard line on Ukraine’s side, worried about upsetting Russia, which controls Syrian airspace bordering Israel and routinely turns a blind eye to Israeli operations against Iran.
Netanyahu confirmed that the US had transferred to Ukraine artillery munitions previously stored in Israel, and hinted that the Israeli state would in turn act to prevent the production of weapons for Russia in Iran.
Israel says it has already taken steps to help Ukraine
“The USA simply took a huge part of ammunition from Israel to be sent to Ukraine. “Frankly speaking, Israel is also acting by means, which I will not describe in detail here, against the production of weapons in Iran that are used against Ukraine,” the Israeli prime minister said.
Ukrainian and Western officials have accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones for its invasion of Ukraine, and since last fall, numerous videos have appeared on social media showing attacks by Russian forces using Iranian-made Shahed 136 kamikaze drones.
However, Tehran claims that it sent these weapons to Russia even before the start of the war on February 24.
Netanyahu said he was asked to play an official mediating role after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, but he did not comply because he was in the opposition at the time.
Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel can mediate between Moscow and Kyiv
The Prime Minister of Israel added that he is ready to intervene as a mediator if the conflicting parties and the United States ask for it.
“I’ve been here long enough to know that the time has to be right and the circumstances right. If they appear, I will certainly consider the request,” Netanyahu said.
His statements came after a visit to the Middle East by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who called for calm after the escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians and urged Israel to support Ukraine.
Netanyahu’s predecessor, Naftali Bennett, made a surprise visit to Moscow last March to offer himself as a mediator with Vladimir Putin. He delivered Putin’s message to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but was unable to organize direct talks.
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Source: Hot News
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