Zelensky said Israeli government ‘made a mistake’ not supporting Ukraine ‘because they are afraid of Putin’

Zelensky emphasized the ‘mistake’ was on a political level and that Ukraine ‘always had good connections with Israeli society.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News on Wednesday that he believes the Israeli government “made a mistake” by not showing more support for Ukraine during its war with Russia and blamed it on his belief that “Israel is afraid of Putin.”

Zelensky emphasized that Israel made “a mistake on the political level, not the people,” noting that Ukraine “always had good connections with Israeli society.”

He recalled asking Israel for its support when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“It’s my opinion, and I’m frank about it, and I also spoke about it with European leaders and with the American administration, and I asked them to help me with Israel to give us support, especially with air defenses,” he said.

Zelensky admitted feeling “shock at the lack of Israeli support” in 2022.

Israel condemned Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and provided some support, including humanitarian aid and an aerial warning system, but stopped short of sending military aid.

The Financial Times reported early in 2024 that the US and Israel were in talks to provide Ukraine with eight Patriot missile air defense systems currently owned by Israel.

Russia has been a strong critic of Israel since October 7th, accused it of war crimes at the UN, and has hosted Hamas leaders.

The vast majority of Hezbollah’s weapons originated from Russia, according to a report Tuesday, with recent discoveries by Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon forcing the IDF to raise its estimates regarding the flow of weapons to the Iranian-backed terror group.

On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal published a report citing multiple sources claiming that IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon since October 1st have uncovered large quantities of Russian-made weapons in Hezbollah’s possession.

While Israel has long been aware of the Iranian-backed terror group’s use of Russian-made weapons, the recent discoveries reportedly came as a surprise to military intelligence, which had estimated that Hezbollah’s arsenal was less dependent on Russia, and that the Russian-made equipment was largely older items, many dating to the Soviet era.