'Israel is afraid of Putin,' Zelensky claims amid lack of support against Russia

Zelensky said he also spoke with European and US officials to help him get Israel to lend Ukraine support, especially with air defenses.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 20, 2024 20:24

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Vilnius, Lithuania January 10, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Israel "has been afraid of Putin" in an interview in Kyiv with Fox News's Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst on Wednesday and stressed that they "made a mistake on a political level" after asking Israeli leaders for help and support amid the Russian invasion.

"It's my opinion, and I'm very honest about it, and I also spoke about it with European leaders and with the American administration, and I asked them to help me with Israel to give us support, especially with air defenses," he said.

Zelensky made these statements after Yingst had asked the Ukrainian leader about coordination between Israel and Ukraine about alert systems and air defenses.

"I think that Israel made a mistake," Ukrainian President Zelenskyy tells me about the lack of military aid supplied to his country. Earlier in the interview, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Israeli strikes against Iranian missile production facilities were a good thing for… pic.twitter.com/PkganLnSNs

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) November 20, 2024

"But it's a mistake on the political level, not the people," noting that Ukraine "always had good connections with Israeli society."

Zelensky's past statements on Israel

The Ukrainian leader made similar statements in September 2022 when he noted his "shock at the lack of Israeli support," and again nearly a half year later when he said that Israel shouldn't take a mediator position in the Ukraine-Russia war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. September 19, 2023 (credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO)

A Post editorial from June of last year asked that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu go to Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

The prime minister noted that Israeli and Russian pilots have been flying nearby over Syiran airspace and said he believes it's important "that we maintain our freedom of action against Iran’s attempts to place itself militarily on our northern border.”