“If we had immediately secured our skies, Russia would not have a motive to go to Iran and offer something in exchange for assistance in terror,” the Ukrainian president said.
By Debbie Reiss, World Israel News
Russia will help Iran to develop its nuclear program in exchange for attack drones and Israel will be at fault for allowing it to happen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a dramatic address Monday.
If Ukraine had “immediately secured our skies, Russian would not have a motive to go to Iran and offer something in exchange for assistance in terror,” the Ukrainian president said in a prerecorded video message to Haaretz’s Democracy Conference on Monday.
“We have been asking Israel for help since 2014,” Zelensky said. “The decision of your state, your governments…’not to annoy’ the Kremlin, not to help Ukraine for real.”
According to Zelensky, Moscow has purchased 2,000 Shahed drones from Tehran to date.
“In eight months of full-scale war, Russia has used almost 4,500 missiles against us. And their stock of missiles is dwindling. This is why Russia went looking for affordable weapons in other countries to continue its terror. It found them in Iran,” Zelensky said.
He went on to warn Israel that more than payments of cash, Iran is interested in being compensated for its attack drones by tapping into Russia’s nuclear know-how.
“This alliance of theirs simply would not have happened if your politicians had made only one decision at the time, the decision we asked for,” Zelensky charged.
He called on Jerusalem to “act together” with other Western powers providing military aid to Kyiv.
Since the Russian invasion on February 24, Israel has toed the line, maintaining a policy of relative neutrality because of its ongoing airstrikes against Iranian targets from Russian-controlled Syrian skies.
Zelensky dismissed those concerns, saying Russian presence had been greatly reduced in Syria since the outbreak of the war.
Kyiv has sought Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, as well as the new “Iron Beam” laser defense system, and has snubbed the Jewish state’s offer to provide it with a missile alert system.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz reiterated to his Ukrainian counterpart Monday that Israel would not be transferring weapons to Kyiv.
“Minister Gantz highlighted Israel’s position in standing with the Ukrainian people and the West, and expressed his commitment to supporting Ukraine via the delivery of humanitarian aid and life-saving defense equipment,” the Defense Ministry said Monday.
“Gantz also emphasized the operational limitations faced by the State of Israel. As a result, Israel will not provide weapon systems to Ukraine.”