Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was considering providing military assistance to Kyiv, although he also said he was ready to mediate between Ukraine and Russia if asked.

“Of course, I am looking into this issue,” Mr. Netanyahu said in an interview with US broadcaster CNN, when asked if Israel would provide assistance to the Ukrainian military, in particular the Iron Dome air defense system.

Netanyahu has so far avoided taking a clear pro-Ukraine stance as he doesn’t want to disrupt Israel’s relationship with Russia, which controls neighboring Syria’s airspace and often turns a blind eye to Israeli military operations against Iranian forces. and pro-Iranian organizations.

He also confirmed that the US was moving artillery ammunition stored in Israel to Ukraine, hinting that the Israeli military was conducting operations to prevent the production of Iranian weapons destined for Russia.

“The United States came and took a huge part of the ammunition from Israel in order to take it to Ukraine. Israel is also acting by means, which I will not describe in detail here, against the production of weapons in Iran, which will be used against Ukraine,” the Israeli Prime Minister said.

Ukrainian and Western officials accuse Tehran of supplying Russia with kamikaze drones used in Ukraine, which the Islamic Republic denies.

Benjamin Netanyahu also said in an interview that he was asked to take on the role of mediator after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, but he did not agree because he was in opposition at the time.

He assured that he was ready to act as a mediator if the warring parties and the United States asked him to do so. However, he added that he knows from experience that for the project to be successful, it will be necessary to take the initiative “at the right time” and “under the right circumstances”.

These statements came after a visit to the Middle East by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who called for a de-escalation of tensions between Israel and the Palestinians and urged Israel to offer support to Ukraine.

Netanyahu’s predecessor Naftali Bennet made a surprise visit to Moscow in March 2022, where he offered to mediate during a meeting with Vladimir Putin. He conveyed the messages of the President of Russia to Vladimir Zelensky, but was unable to move forward with the organization of direct negotiations to end the armed conflict.

Source: dpa, Reuters, CNN, APE-MPE.