Israeli FM lands in Ukraine in first visit since start of war

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Israeli occupation Foreign Minister Eli Cohen arrived in Kiev Thursday on the first visit to Ukraine by an Israeli minister since the start of the war, his office confirmed.

Cohen "will make an official visit today to Kyiv, during which he will meet President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and Foreign Minister (Dmytr) Kuleba," the Israeli occupation Foreign Ministry said in a statement after his arrival in the Ukrainian capital.

During his visit, 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 more: 'Israel' provides Ukraine with intel on Iranian drones, not Iron Dome

'Israel' donating weapons to Ukraine via third countries: Exclusive

In addition, a Russian intelligence source told Al Mayadeen in December that the Israeli occupation is donating money to buy Ukraine weapons from third countries.

The Russian source said "Tel Aviv" is using third countries to conceal its bias toward Ukraine, highlighting that several Israeli armored vehicles have been detected in Ukraine.

Haaretz also reported that "Israel" spent millions of dollars to appease its Western partners by procuring undisclosed strategic materials for Ukraine after "Tel Aviv" faced pressure to send arms to Kiev via a third country.

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 senior Russian Security Council member, Dmitry Medvedev, warned in October "Israel" against providing weapons to Ukraine, threatening that any move to boost Kiev's arsenal would severely damage bilateral relations.

Read more: The National Interest: Will 'Israel' risk sending Iron Dome to Kiev?