Ukraine forwarded a series of requests to Israel in preparation for Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's upcoming visit to Kyiv, the first of which is a request for a clear public statement against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, senior Ukrainian and Israeli officials told Walla on Sunday evening.
The officials also reported that Ukraine requested approval for a loan of $500m.
The Ukrainians requested that Israel show support for Zelensky's peace plan, which is based on a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian territory. This request, along with the others, was submitted during the tenure of Israel's previous government and was not approved by then-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Ukraine also requested that Israel take in hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who were injured in the war and provide medical treatment. In addition, there was a request for the current government to provide Ukraine with a rocket alert system similar to Israel's Home Front Command.
The significance of Cohen's visit
Cohen's visit to Kyiv will mark the first time an Israeli member of government has come to Ukraine's capital since the beginning of the war. A senior Ukrainian official said that Cohen's degree of responsiveness to his nation's requests would testify to the sincerity of Israel's intentions.
During his visit, Cohen is expected to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, and to reopen the Israeli embassy in Kyiv which has been closed since the outbreak of the war.