Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov last Wednesday, likely thanks to US pressure on the Netanyahu government to provide military assistance to Kyiv.
An Israel statement read, "Gallant was briefed on developments on the ground, and expressed concern regarding the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The parties also discussed the common threat posed by Iran, and its influence on the war in Ukraine, as well as its wider global impact." It explained that Gallant updated Reznikov on the development of the Israeli missile warning system expected to be delivered to Ukraine in September.
While the Israeli statement did not mention requests by the Ukrainian side for military assistance, a report by Axios earlier this week revealed that the phone-call came at the request of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in his meeting last week with Gallant in Brussels, on the margin of the NATO defense ministers’ gathering. Also last week, unnamed Ukrainian officials told the Times of Israel that Reznikov has been unable until then to arrange a phone conversation with Gallant.
Axios reported that at their meeting, Gallant discussed Israel’s humanitarian and defense assistance to Ukraine with Austin, repeating Jerusalem’s position against supplying Kyiv with weapons. An unnamed Israeli official was quoted as saying that Washington understands the Israeli position.
