Israel has proposed transferring Russian-made weapons, seized by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Lebanon, or from other adversaries, to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel announced on its official Facebook page.

According to the statement, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk met with Israel’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharren Haskel, on Tuesday, Jan. 21. During the meeting, the ambassador thanked Israel for its offer to provide the seized weapons.

“This initiative would be an important step in recognizing the common threats faced by both countries. The Ukrainian side expressed hope for a positive solution to this issue,” the Ukrainain Embassy wrote on Facebook.

Some of the weapons offered to Ukraine were seized from a Hezbollah underground base in southern Lebanon in late 2024. The base, used as a command center, contained Russian-made arms such as rockets, rifles, and other equipment.

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The meeting also covered concerns about military cooperation between Iran and Russia, which both Ukraine and Israel view as a threat to their national security. The parties explored ways to counter this issue and discussed opportunities to strengthen ties, including economic, humanitarian, and consular cooperation.

While Israel has provided diplomatic support, humanitarian aid and some defensive technology to Ukraine as it battles Russian full-scale invasion for almost three years, it has resisted calls to provide weapons and other military equipment to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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Ukraine’s president said at least that number of European peacekeepers are needed to prevent future Russian attacks, adding Kyiv won’t yield to Kremlin demands it should reduce its army fivefold.

Recently, however, the risk-cost balance between Israel and Russia has changed because of Moscow’s increasingly closer relationship with Teheran. Iran is the main backer for both Hamas and Hezbollah and is considered the main threat to Israel and the region.

In December 2024, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky said that the relationship between Israel and Ukraine has been growing in recent years, and with it, mutual understanding.

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