Gallant to speak to Ukrainian MoD upon US request: Israeli media
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Israeli media say the US Secretary of Defense asked the Israeli Minister of Security to call the Ukrainian Minister of Defense early next week to discuss Israeli aid.
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US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin, arrives for the opening dinner for the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum, in Singapore, Friday, June 2, 2023. (AP)
The Israeli Walla! website quoted senior Israeli officials as saying that, at the request of the White House, the Israeli Minister of Security, Yoav Gallant, is expected to speak over the phone with the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov to discuss "non-lethal" Israeli assistance to Ukraine.
The site indicated that Gallant accepted US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's request on Friday and asked his staff to start coordinating the call with Reznikov.
Walla! noted that the White House and Pentagon have been "pressuring Israel" in recent months to send assistance to Ukraine. But since the new occupation government was formed, there were no talks between Gallant and Reznikov.
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According to the Israeli website, the current occupation government is allegedly following in the footsteps of its predecessor of not providing Ukraine with weapons systems to "avoid tensions with Russia, which may harm the Air Force's freedom of action against Iranian targets in Syria."
The same Israeli website also quoted senior officials in the Israeli security establishment as saying that during their meeting in Brussels last Thursday, the US Secretary of Defense told Gallant that "Israel can do more to help Ukraine" and that "Austin asked Gallant to contact his Ukrainian counterpart."
Washington withdraws ammunition from 'Israel'
Earlier in May, Israeli media said that the burden in Ukraine was increasing and that Washington was withdrawing its ammunition from "Israel".
During the past three months, Israeli media revealed that “Washington removed from Israel more than 1,000 containers of American weapons,” which Washington uses permanently, “in favor of its activities in the Middle East, and keeps emergency supply for the Israeli army.”
Read next: Ukrainian advisor: "Israel" chose to be on the wrong side of history
It also revealed that the US took out about 300,000 155-millimeter shells but did not take out ammunition such as air-to-surface ammunition.
Moreso, last February, Israeli media reported that "Tel Aviv" promised Kiev to "deliver air warning systems against air threats."
The American Axios website revealed earlier this year that the US administration had asked "Israel" to send its old Hawk anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, according to three Israeli and US officials.
In the same context, The New York Times previously reported that "Israel has agreed to provide Ukraine with American artillery shells stored in it," despite Russian warnings and threats of retaliation.
Although the former Israeli Minister of Security Benny Gantz said that "Israel did not provide Ukraine with air defense systems," he did confirm that "an Israeli security company sold the Ukrainian army anti-drone systems capable of intercepting combat drones and jamming them."
He also revealed that "these systems are being sold through Poland to circumvent the ban imposed by Israel on selling advanced weapons to Ukraine."
