Israel studies Ukraine request for military assistance

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said yesterday that his government is studying a Ukrainian request for military assistance, Sama News Agency reported.

According to Sama, the Israeli Public Broadcaster Kan, reported Lapid speaking after meeting with Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova in Jerusalem.

During the meeting, Lapid expressed his concern over Ukraine’s tensions with Russia, and updated her on travel warning to Israelis in her country.

The Times of Israel reported him saying that Israel is preparing for the possibility of evacuating Israelis and Jews from Ukraine by land to the West.

Turkiye’s FM: Western states should not cause panic in Ukraine

Neighbouring countries including Moldova, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania responded positively to Israeli consultations about the possibility of evacuating Israelis to their soils.

According to Lapid, 6,050 Israelis in Ukraine have registered to receive updates from the ministry via text message.

“Part of our task is to protect them, and that requires us to be more cautious in such a conflict,” Lapid said. “But Israel’s position, like that of the West, is clear: We must do everything in order to avoid armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”

Lapid also said, according to the Jerusalem Post, that Israel has already discussed with Kyiv a contingency plan to open a second diplomatic office in Lviv to facilitate the evacuation of Israelis by land.