{"id":229328,"date":"2026-07-30T14:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/229328\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T14:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:38:17","slug":"giving-ukraine-the-cold-shoulder-in-dc-netanyahu-freezes-out-ally-against-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/229328\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Ukraine the cold shoulder in DC, Netanyahu freezes out ally against Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

To most observers, Ukraine and Israel are natural allies as they both fight difficult, long wars against countries on the same hostile axis.<\/p>\n

Though the fight began many decades before, following the Hamas invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has been engaged in a multifront war against Iran and its armed proxies. In June 2025, the focus of that effort shifted to the Islamic Republic itself, which has sustained massive damage in two wars with Israel and the US but is proving more resilient than many expected.<\/p>\n

Ukraine, too, has been confronting the Iranian threat since 2022. Since early in Russia\u2019s invasion, Tehran has been providing Moscow with hundreds of exploding drones for use on the battlefield in Ukraine and helped launch their production in Russia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran supports our enemy and supports aggression,\u201d Ukraine\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka told<\/a> The Times of Israel in December.<\/p>\n

But despite the common foe, the Ukraine-Israel relationship remains awkward and tepid, to the detriment of both countries. That reality was on full display this week in Washington, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held separate meetings with US President Donald Trump on the very same morning, but couldn\u2019t manage a sit-down with each other.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tUkraine\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka speaks to The Times of Israel in Jerusalem, December 4, 2025. (Ukrainian Embassy in Israel)<\/p>\n

Kyiv \u2014 and some select Israeli officials \u2014 seem eager to move toward a more mutually beneficial relationship, but ties remain oddly anemic. That\u2019s largely due to Jerusalem\u2019s cold shoulder as it continues to defer to Moscow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the world of old concepts that are no longer relevant,\u201d said Ksenia Svetlova, fellow at Chatham House and executive director at ROPES, the Regional Organization For Peace, Economics & Security, \u201cthat Russia is a superpower, that Ukraine is weak and not important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Common enemies<\/p>\n

Russia and Iran have been openly partnering on weapons and intelligence for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new,\u201d boasted<\/a> Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in March. \u201cIt\u2019s not a secret. It has been in the past and it\u2019s still there and will continue in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tIn this handout photograph taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on July 24, 2026, Russia\u2019s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) shakes hands with Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi before their talks on the sidelines of the Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO Member States in Cholpon-Ata, northeastern Kyrgyzstan. (Handout\/RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY\/AFP)<\/p>\n

That alliance has exacted a price from both Ukraine and Israel.<\/p>\n

Iran uses<\/a> Russian-made fighter jets, armored vehicles, air defenses, and many more systems.<\/p>\n

In December, after Israel decimated Tehran\u2019s Russian-made air defense network, Iran signed<\/a> a secret 500 million euro ($589 million) arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, according to the Financial Times. The two countries also signed<\/a> a \u201ccomprehensive strategic partnership\u201d treaty in January.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tUkrainian air defense intercepts an Iranian-made \u2018Shahed\u2019 drone mid-air in in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 30, 2023. (Evgeniy Maloletka\/AP)<\/p>\n

At the height of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran earlier this year, The Washington Post reported<\/a> that Russia had been assisting Iran in the war by providing intelligence on the locations of American military assets in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Ukraine has suffered more directly from the military alliance between Tehran and Moscow.<\/p>\n

Russia has deployed thousands of the Iranian-designed Shahed drones against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, including energy facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cUkraine and Israel have common enemies,\u201d Ukraine\u2019s former defense minister Oleksii Reznikov told<\/a> The Times of Israel in March, calling Russia and Iran \u201cthe real axis of evil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tFile: Ukraine\u2019s Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov attends a press conference in Kyiv, on August 28, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (SERGEI CHUZAVKOV \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

\u201cIran is using the same drones against you, and Iran is using Russian weaponry against you,\u201d said Reznikov.<\/p>\n

An awkward conversation<\/p>\n

Ukraine entered direct combat with Iran over the weekend, as Ukrainian drones struck an Iranian ship Kyiv says was carrying weapons across the Caspian Sea to Russia.<\/p>\n

According to The New York Times, Iran considered<\/a> launching a retaliatory strike against Ukrainian territory, but ultimately backed off.<\/p>\n

Despite a conversation<\/a> between the Ukrainian and Iranian foreign ministers, the incident isn\u2019t behind them. Ukraine\u2019s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Iran\u2019s Araghchi that Tehran must \u201cend any support for Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tRussian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks to Iran\u2019s President Ebrahim Raisi, back to a camera, on the sideline of the summit of Caspian Sea littoral states in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on June 29, 2022. (Grigory Sysoyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)<\/p>\n

Even that wasn\u2019t enough to get Zelensky and Netanyahu together this week.<\/p>\n

Both leaders met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, one after the other. It would have made eminent sense for them to see each other for the first time since September 2023.<\/p>\n

It would also have been the first conversation of any sort between them in over a year and a half.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) arrives at the White House on July 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images\/AFP)<\/p>\n

Though Ukraine was more than willing to make the meeting happen, Netanyahu\u2019s office reportedly declined,<\/a> citing a lack of time in his schedule. A senior Israeli official said that Netanyahu did not even know about the request, however.<\/p>\n

The two finally spoke<\/a>, however, as dignitaries gathered ahead of the memorial service for senator Lindsey Graham, a leading backer of both Israel and Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Though the exchange was inaudible, from footage, the conversation appeared to be tense but respectful, and Netanyahu and Zelensky smiled during their handshake at the end. The two \u201cexchanged a few unexpected words. That\u2019s it,\u201d said the Israeli official.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment on the prime minister\u2019s approach to relations with Ukraine.<\/p>\n

A new reality<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t appear that the spontaneous exchange is going to lead to major change in Israel\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

Since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, Jerusalem has pursued a relatively restrained response \u2014 condemning the invasion and offering humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but not weapons. Leaders, including in the previous government, pointed at Russia\u2019s formerly widespread military presence in Syria and the need to protect Israel\u2019s freedom of action over that country by not antagonizing Moscow.<\/p>\n

That reality doesn\u2019t exist anymore.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tRussian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad watch troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, on December 11, 2017. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)<\/p>\n

The Russia-backed Bashar al-Assad regime fell in late 2024. Syria\u2019s current President Ahmad al-Sharaa has allowed<\/a> Russia to maintain its Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base, and visited Moscow twice, and there are still a few hundred Russian troops in Syria. But that is a far cry from its military presence under the Assad regime. The US and Turkey are now the dominant foreign powers in the country.<\/p>\n

There has been a moderate warming of ties between Kyiv and Jerusalem. Leading a delegation to Jerusalem to convene the first meeting of the Israel\u2013Ukraine Intergovernmental Economic Commission since 2021, Kachka told<\/a> The Times of Israel in December that he was satisfied with bilateral ties of late.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good sign of really good cooperation between our governments,\u201d said the deputy prime minister.\u00a0\u201cWe are looking for greater support and we are ready for greater support to Israel as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reznikov said that there is now \u201ca good direction of developing of our bilateral connection, relations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar seems to be pushing for a change in Israel\u2019s approach to Ukraine. He visited Kyiv in July 2025, where he announced<\/a> a strategic dialogue on the Iranian threat. The visit featured multiple displays of warmth between Sa\u2019ar and Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky, along with discussions on military cooperation.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tForeign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar (right) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on July 23, 2025. (Shlomi Amsalem\/GPO)<\/p>\n

\u201cIran not only threatened Israel,\u201d said Sa\u2019ar. \u201cIt threatened regional and global security. It threatened Ukraine. Our actions against its weapons and technology contribute to European security \u2014 and to the security of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in the year since that visit, Netanyahu hasn\u2019t shown much indication that he wants to recalibrate Israel\u2019s ties with Russia or Ukraine.<\/p>\n

In December, Netanyahu boasted<\/a> of his close contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he said were of strategic value for Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI speak with President Putin on a regular basis,\u201d Netanyahu said in the Knesset, \u201cand this personal relationship of many years serves our vital interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tSyrians celebrate at the first Friday prayers since Bashar al-Assad\u2019s ouster at the central square in Damascus, Syria, on December 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/Hussein Malla, File)<\/p>\n

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk hit back at the premier for appearing to back Putin, saying in an interview with the Israeli news site Ynet at the time that he \u201cwas surprised by Netanyahu\u2019s remarks, especially considering what Israel endured on October 7. One must stand on the right, moral side of history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Korniychuk was summoned to the Foreign Ministry over his remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even understand what Russia offers Israel anymore,\u201d said Svetlova. \u201cThere\u2019s not really a Russian threat to Israel anymore. The only threat, the main threat is their support to Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another diplomatic fight erupted<\/a> in April as Kyiv demanded that Israel not allow Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia to offload at Haifa\u2019s port. Several days of a very public back-and-forth between Sa\u2019ar and Sybiha ended with a decision not to offload the ship, which Kyiv praised as a \u201cwelcome development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missed opportunity on drones<\/p>\n

The benefits of a more productive Ukraine-Israel relationship are manifest.<\/p>\n

Until an agreement between Israel and Lebanon took effect in late June, Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon were coming under near-daily attacks from Hezbollah\u2019s explosive drones, which have killed and wounded soldiers.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tIsraeli soldiers are seen after taking cover near the Israel-Lebanon border following a Hezbollah drone attack, June 1, 2026. (Jalaa Marey\/AFP)<\/p>\n

This week, another Hezbollah drone hit<\/a> an Israeli armored bulldozer in the IDF\u2019s buffer zone.<\/p>\n

While Israel has struggled<\/a> to fend off the attacks,\u00a0Ukraine has become highly adept at drone warfare in recent years, and has offered to provide help to Israel in combating the threat, though Jerusalem has resisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody asked me to help,\u201d lamented Zelensky in March, when asked why Ukrainian assistance against Iranian drones wasn\u2019t extended to Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, we do not see much interest or appetite from the Israeli leadership in this field,\u201d Korniychuk told Hebrew media in May. \u201cI do not want to speculate about the reasons for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ukraine and Israel boast two of the world\u2019s most battle-tested and innovative militaries, and could develop tactics and technology well beyond the drone threat.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"
\n\t\tIn this photo provided by Ukraine\u2019s 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service, a servicemen prepares to launch an FPV drone towards Russian positions in a shelter in Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on April 7, 2026. (Iryna Rybakova\/Ukraine\u2019s 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)<\/p>\n

Ukrainians and their Western backers often describe an \u201cIsrael model\u201d for their country\u2019s future \u2014 armed, mobilized, and simultaneously developing an advanced economy based on innovation and technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only connected to Iran,\u201d said Svetlova, \u201cbut in excellence in the technological sphere, the military complex; the work against the misinformation and fake news and other things. There is a really wide span.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s infuriating and unfortunate that until this day, Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to be rebuffing the attempts of the Ukrainians for a long time, to somehow promote this relationship,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

A more pro-Ukrainian stance by Israel would also shore up the argument Netanyahu regularly makes<\/a> that Israel is fighting the war \u201cof civilization against barbarism\u201d on behalf of Western democracies. That could provide an important opportunity for cooperation with often-critical European countries on one of their priority issues.<\/p>\n

But though Israel and Ukraine are firmly on the same side of a geopolitical fault line that stretches from the Persian Gulf to the Arctic shores, there doesn\u2019t appear to be an imminent change in Jerusalem\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Ukraine will likely continue to leave the door open for expanded ties.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking for greater support and we are ready for greater support to Israel as well,\u201d a hopeful Kachka said over six months ago. \u201cWe have more and more topics where we have a common understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To most observers, Ukraine and Israel are natural allies as they both fight difficult, long wars against countries…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":226869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[30950,30723,37,30897,17240,2716],"class_list":["post-229328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-hezbollah-drones","tag-iran-russia-relations","tag-israel","tag-israel-ukraine-relations","tag-russian-invasion-of-ukraine","tag-volodymyr-zelensky"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117009443058068138","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}