Foreign Minister Eli Cohen arrived on Thursday morning in Kyiv for a solidarity visit, making him the first Israeli cabinet minister to set foot on the Ukrainian capital's soil since the Russian invasion in 2022.
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The arrival, which was kept under wraps until the very last moment, sends the message that Israel is no longer trying to strike a balance between the warring sides but taking a more pro-Ukrainian stance, departing from the previous Israeli governments since February 2022.
As part of the visit, Israel and Ukraine on Thursday agreed to step up cooperation in a shared struggle against Iran, Cohen said as he wrapped up the first visit to Kyiv by a senior Israeli official since Russia's invasion last year.
But Cohen gave few details on what type of cooperation would take place. He also gave no indication that Israel had met a longstanding Ukrainian request to join the US and other Western allies in providing weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy, citing the country's nuclear program, its hostile rhetoric, and its support for terrorist groups along Israel's borders.
With Iran now providing attack drones to Russia in the Ukrainian war, Israel could be in a position to assist Ukraine with intelligence on arms shipments and expertise on how to counter aerial threats.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, Cohen was evasive. "We spoke about deepening cooperation with Ukraine against the Iranian threat in the international arena," he said.
Since the outbreak of the war, Israel has walked a tightrope between assisting Ukraine and avoiding friction with Russia, with which it has strategic regional interests. Unlike other western countries, Israel has not imposed sanctions on Russia or Russian officials or provided Ukraine with weapons.
It has provided humanitarian support to Ukraine, including a field hospital. Cohen said Thursday that Israel would provide $200 million in loan guarantees to build hospitals in Ukraine and reiterated an Israeli pledge to give Ukraine a sophisticated air-defense warning system.
But he gave no specifics on when that system might be delivered, made no mention of Russia, and did not publicly respond to Ukrainian appeals for Israeli arms.
"Israel, as stated in the past, stands firmly in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and remains committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Cohen said.
Following his meeting with Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader said, "Israel has always been our important partner in the Middle East. This is the first visit of an Israeli representative since the beginning of the full-scale invasion." In the statement, he added: "During a meeting with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen we discussed deepening bilateral cooperation in various areas. I invite Israel to join the implementation of our Peace Formula. I am grateful for the humanitarian aid provided. We discussed the country's participation in post-war reconstruction. Ukraine could use Israel's experience in demining."
Zelenskyy expressed hope that "this visit will contribute to deepening our cooperation."
Ukrainian leaders have talked in the past about some intelligence cooperation with Israel. Cohen refused to answer questions about the topic.
The visit came just before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion and as Western nations seek to increase aid to the country.
Cohen earlier met with Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who said on Twitter afterward that he was "thankful for all of the support that Israel and Israelis have provided over the past year."
"During our detailed and frank talks, we focused on ways to enhance bilateral relations, increase assistance, and address shared security challenges," he said.
Cohen also made stops at Bucha, where hundreds of people were found dead, some with their hands tied, after a Russian withdrawal last year. Ukrainian officials allege atrocities. Cohen also visited Babi Yar, a ravine in Kyiv where nearly 34,000 Jews were killed within 48 hours in 1941 when the city was under Nazi occupation. The killing was carried out by SS troops along with local collaborators.
Cohen said earlier this year that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government "will definitely do one thing: publicly, we will talk less" about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but would keep providing Ukraine with humanitarian aid. Shortly after taking office, he spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Israel maintains good working relations with both warring countries and has large populations of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. Israel also relies on security coordination with Russia over neighboring Syria, where Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian military positions in the past decade.
Video: Ariel Kahana reports from Ukraine / Ariel Kahana
Cohen also officially rededicated the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv, which scaled down operations during the first months of the war.
Ahead of the visit, senior Ukrainian officials communicated that they were expecting Cohen to arrive with concrete offers to help the country. People close to Cohen were also bracing for the possibility that Zelenskyy and his associates would lash out against Israel during the meetings on Monday over this contentious issue
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