'Israel' to help Ukraine develop missile attack warning system: FM
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Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen says his country wants to help Ukraine develop a missile attack warning system.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba attends a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 (Gleb Garanich/Pool Photo via AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba held a meeting on Thursday in Kiev, during which Cohen expressed his country's intention to help Ukraine develop a missile attack early warning system.
"Israel, as stated in the past, stands firmly in solidarity with the people of Ukraine," The Times of Israel quoted Cohen as saying.
"Israel" would "assist Ukraine with developing a smart early warning system," he added.
Acknowledging the gesture, Kuleba said after the meeting, "Israel knows perfectly about our list of security and defense needs."
Read: 'Israel' donating weapons to Ukraine via third countries: exclusive
"Israel" would provide Ukraine with up to $200 million in loan guarantees for civilian infrastructure and health care, Cohen said at the end of the talks.
Cohen is the first high-ranking Israeli official to visit Ukraine since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. He arrived in Kiev on Thursday morning, and he will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky. Also, Cohen is due to fully reopen the Israeli occupation Embassy in Kiev.
The diplomatic mission "will return to continuous activity, with the aim of strengthening relations" between Ukraine and "Israel", Cohen said in a statement.
"Israel" helping Ukraine behind the scenes
"Israel" claims that it has only sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the war. However, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated in an interview for CNN earlier this month that he was "certainly looking into" military aid for Ukraine.
In the same context, the Israeli occupation Ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor, said in late January that "Tel Aviv" is helping Ukraine but behind the scenes, as per German media.
"We help - albeit behind the scenes - and much more than is known," Prosor said in an interview for the German newspaper Morgenpost.
Read: 'Israel' provides Ukraine with intel on Iranian drones, not Iron Dome
Israeli occupation media reported in mid-September that an Israeli arms manufacturer was supplying anti-UAV systems to Ukraine via Poland, with the sales conducted through Warsaw to circumvent "Tel Aviv's" refusal to sell advanced arms to Ukraine.
It is noteworthy that in October, senior Russian Security Council member, Dmitry Medvedev, warned "Israel" against providing weapons to Ukraine, threatening that any move to boost Kiev's arsenal would severely damage bilateral relations.
