Zelensky, Ukraine President, shocked by Israel’s failure to provide military support

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, claimed he was “shocked” by Israel’s refusal to provide Kyiv with anti-missile systems to assist fend off Russian strikes, according to an interview that was made public on Saturday.

Since the beginning of the fight in February, Zelenskyy has been requesting the weapons. He brought up Israel’s Iron Dome system, which is frequently employed to block rockets fired from Gaza by Palestinian militants.

In an interview with French reporters on Wednesday, Zelensky made these comments, while a recording of the interview was made available by his office on Saturday.

“I don’t know what happened to Israel. I’m honestly, frankly – I am in shock, because I don’t understand why they couldn’t give us air defenses,” he said.

Read also:Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy says about 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed

His comments were stronger than those he made in March when he chided Israel for its reluctance to send weapons. At the time, Israel was non-committal, saying it would help Ukraine as much as it could.

Israel, which has condemned the Russian invasion, is wary of straining ties with Moscow, a powerbroker in neighboring Syria where Israeli forces frequently attack pro-Iranian militia.

“I understand – they have a difficult situation, regarding the situation with Syria and Russia,” Zelensky said, adding that he was not making accusations.

“I am stating the facts. My conversations with the Israeli leadership have done nothing to help Ukraine.”

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