Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country does not supply weapons to Ukraine because of its agreements with Russia on Syria. He also noted that Israel provides humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and supplies early warning systems for air raids.
“I must say frankly: we have a difficult situation. Israeli and Russian pilots fly in close proximity to each other in Syrian airspace,” Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin (quoted by RIA Novosti). The broadcast was on YouTube.
Mr. Netanyahu recalled that by concluding agreements with Russia, the country hoped to prevent the opening of a “third front” from Syria. “We agreed that we would not shoot down our planes,” he added.
Israel supports Ukraine in hostilities with Russia, but does not supply it with weapons. In February, Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would reconsider the issue of transferring weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Israel Hayom newspaper also, citing sources, wrote about Mr. Netanyahu’s plans to visit Kyiv. According to Axios, in mid-February, the Israeli government approved the issuance of export licenses for the sale of electronic warfare systems against drones to Ukraine. Israeli officials told the publication that this does not indicate a change in Israeli policy, since the systems are defensive in nature.
