Israel transported several tons of medicaments to Ukraine

On August 15, Israel donated several tons of medicines to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine as part of humanitarian aid.

This was announced by the Israel ambassador, Mykhailo Brodsky. The diplomat noted that the handover ceremony was held in Kyiv with the participation of his deputy Liron Finkelstein and official representatives of Ukraine.

Israel's aid to Ukraine

This is not the first time Kyiv has turned to Israel for military support. But Israel has so far (like several other countries) not decided to supply weapons directly to Ukraine. Instead, it provides humanitarian aid to the country, as well as bulletproof vests and helmets.

In mid-March 2022, in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a large influx of refugees, the Israeli authorities updated the entry rules for Ukrainians.

In September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was shocked that Israel had not provided any assistance to Kiev since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The US is pressing Israel to give Ukraine more help in its clash with Russia, especially now that Tehran is supplying Moscow with hundreds of drones that are being used to attack Ukraine.

On October 24, Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a telephone conversation with Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov that Israel would provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid, but not arms.

On February 5, 2023, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would explore the possibility of Israel supplying Ukraine with weapons, which was rejected by the previous Israeli government.

Why is Israel not giving weapons to Ukraine?

Israel does not transfer arms to Ukraine for two reasons, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained in an interview with the Jerusalem Post. First, in Syria, where Israeli pilots fly alongside Russian pilots, it is important that Israel retains its freedom of action. Moreover, there is a real danger that Israeli weapons will fall into Iranian hands and be used against the Jewish state.

"I think Israel is in a special situation, different from Poland, Germany, France, or other Western countries that help Ukraine. First, we have a close military border with Russia. Our pilots fly right next to Russian pilots over Syria. If we transfer our weapons, that we remain free to act against Iranian attempts to establish a military presence on our northern border", Netajahu said.

"By the way, this is not a theoretical possibility. This is what happened with the Western anti-tank weapons that we currently find on our borders. So we have to be very careful" - he noted.

Netanyahu expressed hope that in the future the situation may change and perhaps Israel will be able to do something to end this conflict. He noted that in international affairs one must be very careful.