NEW YORK – Expecting “a lot,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sat down to talk with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday afternoon in a basement conference room at the United Nations.
He walked away with only a public pledge by Israel to continue the humanitarian assistance it has provided since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
It’s the first face-to-face conversation between the two men since Netanyahu returned to office at the end of December.
Zelensky had wanted their first meeting to be in Ukraine. Netanyahu has not joined Western leaders in visiting Kyiv in a show of solidarity, taking a more cautious approach to Russia’s invasion of that country, concerned not to anger Moscow whose military sits on Israel’s northern border.
It is a concern that his predecessors Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett shared. Israel, like most Western countries, has clearly condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine as well as Moscow’s growing military alliance with Iran.
What has Israel provided Ukraine?
It has given Ukraine humanitarian assistance and has pledged to provide it with a civilian early warning system for incoming missiles which has yet to arrive. Ukraine, however, wants to purchase Israeli defensive anti-missile systems. Israel has refused to authorize the sale, which is a red line for Moscow.
Kyiv has also been frustrated that Israel has not done more to host refugees fleeing the war.
Zelensky arrived at the meeting wearing his signature khaki-colored shirt and pants. He came just after his address to the UN General Assembly and in advance of his White House meeting with US President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Netanyahu failed to receive a similar White House invitation for this week and instead is meeting Biden on Wednesday.
When asked by reporters what he expected from the meeting, Zelensky said “a lot” but otherwise tried to duck questions.
After the meeting, Zelensky said he had “focused talks with Netanyahu on our cooperation, including in civil defense area.”“I informed him about Russian strikes on our cities, ports, and critical infrastructure using Iranian drones,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We share concerns about the increasing military cooperation between Russia and Iran.”
Meeting with Scholz about anti-missile system sales
Hours earlier, Netanyahu met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the same room and discussed Israel’s sale of its sophisticated Arrow 3 anti-missile system to Germany, which, like many of its neighbors, has been bolstering its defense systems out of concern that Russia will expand the war beyond Ukraine’s borders.
In the aftermath of his meeting with Zelensky, the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu had promised to “continue to assist Ukraine in humanitarian issues,” including its de-mining efforts.
Russia’s war against Ukraine was one of the focal points of the high-level session of the opening of the 78th UN General Assembly.
Biden in his UN address on Tuesday said: “We have to stand up to this naked [Russian] aggression today and deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow.”“That’s why the United States, together with our allies and partners around the world, will continue to stand with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity and their freedom,” he said.Zelensky in his UN address accused Russia of acts of genocide against Ukrainians.“Russia is pushing the world to the final war,” he said. “Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after the Russian aggression, no one in the world will dare to attack any nation.“Weaponization must be restrained. War crimes must be punished. Deported people must come back home, and the occupiers must return to their own land. We must be united to make it [happen],” Zelensky said.