Russia warned Israel on Wednesday about possible arms shipments to Ukraine after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would “consider the matter,” AFP reported.

Maria ZakharovaPhoto: TASS / Profimedia Images

“When it comes to the supply of weapons (to Ukraine), we do not classify countries by geography. All countries that supply weapons must understand that we will consider (these weapons) as legitimate targets for our armed forces,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said regarding the possibility of supplies to Israel.

Since the beginning of the Russian offensive on Ukraine in February, Israel has tried to maintain neutrality in this conflict, for example by not supplying weapons to Kyiv, despite repeated requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

Israel has also argued that it has privileged ties with Moscow, as the Jewish state has more than a million citizens from the former Soviet Union and Russia has troops in Syria, Israel’s neighbor.

However, on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country is considering the possibility of military aid to Ukraine, and also offered to act as a mediator in the Ukrainian conflict.

“Any attempt—realized or even unrealized but announced—to deliver additional weapons, new or otherwise, is and will escalate this crisis. Everyone should understand this,” Zakharova insisted.

  • Read also: Israel signals for the first time that it could help Ukraine militarily

___

  • Follow the latest events of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HotNews.ro