“Israel’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Yevhen Korniychuk to announce a reprimand after he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for claims of frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Evgeny Korniychuk. Photo: Getty Images Source: The Times of Israel, Ynet
Details: On Thursday, December 11, the Ukrainian diplomat was summoned to a meeting with Yuval Fuchs, Deputy Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Eurasian Affairs. In the foreign policy department, this meeting was officially called a challenge “for reprimand”.
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The reason was Korniychuk’s interview with Ynet, in which he criticized the position of the head of the Israeli government regarding relations with Moscow.
The ministry said in a statement that Fuchs “made it clear” to the ambassador that his comments were “absolutely unacceptable and deviate from established diplomatic protocol.” A representative of the Israeli Foreign Ministry emphasized that the remarks of the Ukrainian diplomat allegedly ignore the support that Israel has provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
On Monday night, during a Knesset debate on Israel’s international status, Netanyahu began bragging about his “personal relationship” with Putin. The Israeli prime minister said that he communicates “regularly” with the Russian ruler to protect “vital interests” of Israel, in particular on the northern border.
Netanyahu’s direct speech: “We are in constant contact with another world power, Russia. I speak regularly with President Putin, and this personal relationship, which has been going on for decades, helps protect Israel’s vital interests, including preventing encroachments on our northern border.”
Details: In an interview with Ynet, the ambassador of Ukraine expressed surprise at such rhetoric, recalling that Russia is an ally of Iran and also supports terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which attack Israel.
Direct speech of Korniychuk: “I am not here to give advice to your prime minister on what to say, but I want to remind you that Russia, this so-called “great power”, has been waging a brutal war against Ukraine for almost four years. They are killing women and children, slaughtering civilians and creating serious humanitarian and legal problems. I was surprised by Netanyahu’s statements, especially considering what Israel experienced on October 7 (2023 – ed.). We must stand on the correct, moral side of history”
Details: Korniychuk also drew attention to Russia’s direct involvement in supporting Israel’s enemies.
“Your military showed me weapons seized from Hezbollah, which were undoubtedly made in Russia. If relations with Russia are so good, why do Russian weapons end up in Hezbollah? It is known from open sources that Russian instructors train both Hezbollah and Hamas, and their agents often travel to Moscow for support,” Korniychuk noted.
Prehistory:
- Last week, a large Ukrainian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka visited Israel to participate in a meeting of the joint economic committee.
- The parties discussed cooperation in the fields of energy, health care and rehabilitation of veterans. In particular, Ukraine signed an agreement with the Israeli Tekuma administration to adopt the experience of community reconstruction.