Israel pledges early air threat warning system for Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Elie Cohen in Kyiv on February 16, 2023 (Photo:Office of the President)
Israel can hand over an early aerial threat warning system to Ukraine in three to six months, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Feb. 16.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy said that they discussed the deepening of bilateral cooperation in various areas and Israel's participation in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. The president called on Israel to join the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula and thanked for the humanitarian assistance the country continues to provide.
Earlier, during a briefing with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, Cohen said that Israel would help develop a “smart early warning system” for Ukraine.
On Feb. 14, The Times of Israel, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, reported that in order for Zelenskyy to meet with Cohen, Israel must be prepared to offer “substantial aid.”
Back in October 2022, then-Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Israel would help Ukraine with a system detecting incoming Russian airstrikes.
On Feb. 16, Cohen arrived in Ukraine. He became the first Israeli government official to visit Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion. The minister visited Bucha and Hostomel, as well as Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial in Kyiv.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that the country's government is considering providing Ukraine with “other (than humanitarian) types of assistance”, including military equipment.
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