Ukraine pressures Israel to supply weapons, cites Iranian threat
With reports of Iran supplying Russia with attack drones, Israel is finding it increasingly difficult to reject Ukraine’s pleas for defensive weaponry.
BRUSSELS — Israeli officials hailed the decision this morning by European Union ambassadors on new sanctions against Iran over its supply of drones to Russia.
“Iran sanctions in record time! After 3 days of talks, EU ambassadors agreed on measures against entities supplying Iranian drones that hit Ukraine. Written procedure is over, sanctions come into force this afternoon on publication in the official journal,” read a tweet from the current EU presidency, held by the Czech Republic. Jerusalem has not yet issued any official reaction, but diplomatic sources told Al-Monitor that Israel naturally supports any additional sanctions against Iranian aggression.
Earlier this week, EU foreign ministers agreed to set up a military assistance mission in support of Ukraine. This afternoon's summit in Brussels is expected to embrace both measures.
Israel finds itself in an uncomfortable position. The United States is reportedly pressuring its allies, including Israel, to help Ukraine quickly build a patchwork air defense network. The Biden administration is urging European and other allies to supply Ukraine with any available equipment to this end, including used or old inventory as long as it meets NATO standards.
