Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke today (Tuesday) with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the countries' shared history regarding the Holocaust and the challenges they face today.
In a post he published on X, Zelenskyy wrote that:
"I spoke with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. I told him about my participation in the events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and conveyed my condolences to the Prime Minister and the people of Israel regarding the tragedy of the Holocaust.
"I welcomed the beginning of the release of hostages, emphasizing the importance of people returning home and reuniting with their families, and expressed hope for the swift release of all remaining hostages. It is crucial to ensure a reliable and lasting peace, so that people can live in safety and security.
"We also discussed maintaining close contact with partners, particularly the United States and President Trump. We addressed current bilateral matters and agreed to maintain close contact in the near future."
Relations between Ukraine and Israel have remained uneven ever since the general war began with Russia in 2022. Ukraine asked that Israel provide more than humanitarian and non-military assistance and also give Ukraine Iron Dome batteries to defend against Russian missile attacks against Ukrainian military and civilian targets.
For its part, Israel - at least as long as Russia maintained a serious force in Syria, together with anti-aircraft batteries - sought not to alienate Russia and tried to remain neutral on the matter of the conflict, and also complained of how Ukraine often voted against Israel in the UN General Assembly.
Things have recently taken a change for the better with the fall of Bashar Assad's Syria and the retreat of Russia from the country, as Deputy Foreign Minister Sharen Haskel openly proposed that Israel provide Ukraine with weapons seized from Hezbollah, including offensive weapons.
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