Russia hopes Israel will not start supplying arms to Ukraine - envoy

Russia hopes that Israel will carry on with the chosen policy line and will continue to refuse to supply arms to Ukraine, said Russian ambassador to Ukraine Anatoly Viktorov in an interview to the Russian state-controlled RIA News outlet

"We know about the pressure Israel feels from the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime and its Western sponsors, led by the United States. We also see obvious attempts to drive a wedge between us [Russian and Israel], including the low-quality disinformation and outright absurdity spread in the Western and Israeli media," he stated.

At the same time, Viktorov expressed his "hope that Israel will maintain its balanced diplomatic approach to this issue and will continue its policy of refusing to supply Kyiv with any weapons or their components."

Israel condemned the Russian war in Ukraine that broke out in February 2022, the former and the current governments of Israel refused to supply weapons to Kyiv, limiting its assistance to medical and humanitarian supplies, despite Ukraine repeatedly asking to provide missile and air defense systemps.

Upon the latest elections in Israel in November 2022 and before the outbreak of Israel's war against Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu, being in Israel's opposition, rejected the idea of Israeli weapons being supplied to Ukraine, saying that any weapons provided to Ukraine could end up in the hands of Iran. However, upon the elections, he said he could reconsider the issue if he assumes the office.

Reports suggest that Ukraine is experiencing shortages in munition and staff as hostilities continue at the frontline as well as across the nation with regular Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's main cities.

The Russian envoy to Israel also mentioned Western sanctions against Russia, saying they have massively affected the country's agricultural sector. However, Viktorov highlighted, Moscow is ready to increase grain supplies to Israel if the Israeli government seeks to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in this area.

Meanwhile, the diplomat emphasized that Israel's criticism regarding Russia's contacts with Hamas are unacceptable, saying it almost sounds like Moscow is accused "of supporting terrorism."

“Russian diplomacy will do everything possible to facilitate the release of all hostages, especially those with Russian citizenship. Our Israeli colleagues are informed about all the efforts we are making,” the ambassador said.

The interview follows a recent controversy surrounding the new Israeli ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin, who was summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry over her "unacceptable" remarks on the Holocaust remembrance in the country.

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