The Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk called on Tel Aviv to abandon “balancing ties with Russia” and transfer arms to Ukraine, Israeli media reported on Monday.

In an interview with the Times of Israel, Korniychuk said Kyiv still views Israel as an “ally”, although it is disappointed by Tel Aviv’s reservations about the issue of arming the Ukrainian army.

Korniychuk said that he was “shocked” to hear former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett say in a recent interview that he had been coordinating aid to Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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He called on Israel to “express an explicit position on the war, which is expected to last for a long time”, explaining that Israel’s explicit support for Kyiv “would mean allowing the transfer of defensive weapons to the Ukrainian forces.”

“Despite the visits made by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and after him two members of the Israeli Knesset [to Ukraine], Ukraine still expects more from Israel,” he said.

Two weeks ago, Cohen visited the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, followed by a visit by a delegation of the Israeli-Ukrainian Parliamentary Friendship Association, headed by MKs Ze’ev Elkin and Yuli Edelstein, who are of Ukrainian origin.

(MEMO, PC)