Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met this evening (Tuesday) with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations Assembly in New York. This is the first meeting between the two of an Israeli prime minister and Zelenskyy since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, when since then only Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has been involved with the Ukrainian president during his visit to Kyiv at the beginning of the year.
At the beginning of the meeting, Zelenskyy said that he "expects a lot from Israel, but there are no problems in our relations." The meeting was also attended by Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Chief of Staff for National Security Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, Prime Minister's Military Secretary Avi Gil, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, and Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman.
Before the meeting with Netanyahu, Zelenskyy spoke at the UN plenary and attacked Russia's threats with nuclear weapons. "Many previously estimated that World War III would be a nuclear war, and feared the possibility of a nuclear attack. As a result, many countries were educated not to use nuclear weapons for attack, but for deterrence," he claimed. "It's a good strategy, but it can't be the only one."
"Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the past, while the world agreed that Russia could possess such weapons. Today, it no longer has the right to possess nuclear weapons," he added and attacked. "There is no reason for terrorists to possess nuclear weapons, and use them as a threat not only to my country but also to the rest of the world."
When hatred is spread against one country, it will not stop there. Every decade Russia starts a new war somewhere else, and meanwhile children learn to hate Ukraine and other neighboring countries," Zelenskyy continued. "The International Court of Justice issued an arrest warrant against Putin following his crimes. If Russia succeeds in its aggression, many seats in the UN Council will be empty."
"More than ever, the world needs to act together to save human lives. Just as there are limitations and deterrence against the use of nuclear weapons, so too must the aggressors and all their ways of war be deterred," concluded the Ukrainian president. "Nowadays, any war can become a world war, and you need global unity to make sure that aggression does not return."
