Only Israeli technology can protect Ukraine against Iranian drones, says Zelenskyy's chief of staff

A top diplomat in Ukraine said that Israel is the only country that can deliver the necessary technology to protect the country against Iranian drones.’

“Nobody but Israel can provide equipment to combat attacks by Iranian drones,” said Ukraine’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.

He also aired his frustration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly supported Ukraine and argued that Israel has an interest in joining the fight against Iranian drones.

“We can see the Kremlin dictator [Russian President Vladimir Putin] taking family photos with Iranian leaders and then this Iranian weaponry is being used against us and against you,” Yermak told Israeli reporters. “I don’t know what else is needed. Our position is 100% principled. We never forget about the fact that our Israeli friends and brethren have the same enemy as we do – I do not know why Israeli politicians do not agree.”

Israel has so far refused to provide military aid to Ukraine, despite multiple requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Instead, the Jewish state has insisted on limiting its assistance to the war-torn country, mostly providing humanitarian aid due to concerns that it could damage its relations with Russia.

Jerusalem hopes to maintain good relations with Russia due to its presence in Syria, on Israel’s northern border, where its defense forces have so far been able to continue operating against Iranian targets.

Yermak also complained that Netanyahu has not made a trip to Kyiv, indicating that the time has come for the Israeli prime minister to make an official visit.

“I cannot understand why we have so far had the pleasure of welcoming very many world leaders in Ukraine, but not the Israeli prime minister,” Yermak said. “We must stand together in wartime. It is not enough to maintain the dialogue between the states; the heads of state must show support.”

“I think it’s possible to elevate these relations to a higher level,” Yermak added. “As a person with a Jewish father, I cannot understand why Israel is not reacting.”

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff also noted that Israel has not condemned Putin’s recent comments about Zelenskyy, in which he said the Ukrainian president is “not Jewish” and “a disgrace to the Jewish people.”

Putin also said that Zelenskyy was “a man with Jewish blood,” who “covers for these freaks, these neo-Nazis, with his actions” in a reference to the Ukrainian people.

“This is not a joke and not an attempt at irony because today neo-Nazis – Hitler’s disciples – have been put on a pedestal as heroes of Ukraine,” said Putin recently.

Natan Sharansky, the prominent former Soviet dissident and former Israeli minister, agreed with Yermak that Israel should support Ukraine. However, Sharansky warned that “there are dark pages in our mutual history. Some recognized them and try to overcome them, and others try to misuse them.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Ukraine in February, becoming the highest-ranking Israeli official to visit the nation in a show of diplomatic support.

“I have arrived today on the first visit of an Israeli minister to Kyiv since the outbreak of fighting. In the last year, Israel stood by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Cohen said at the time.

British Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan said on Wednesday that Israel should support Ukraine against an Iranian-Russian military alliance for its own national security interests.

“Iran’s links with Russia threaten Israel’s national security, which is why we would like Israel to do even more to defeat the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Wigan said. “It is certainly in Israel’s national interest.”

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska is currently on an official visit to Israel.

Zelenska met with Michal Herzog, wife of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and spoke with several Israeli medical and psychological experts. Israel has accumulated vast medical and psychological expertise in dealing with human injuries – both physical and mental –during times of protracted conflict.