Zelenskyy slams Israel for no military aid; questions China's 'ambiguous' position on war

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rebuked Israel on Friday for not offering any military aid to his nation to fight against Russian invasion. His remarks were in reference to Ukraine’s demands to be provided with air defence systems to counter Russia’s advancement into the territory during the early months of the conflict.   

“Let me be clear, this shocks me because at the same time Israel exports its armaments to other countries,” Zelenskyy told Ouest-France.  

It is to mention that back in June, Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, had previously stated in a press conference held in Tel Aviv, “We ask Israel for a defensive tool in the form of an Iron Dome and similar defensive tools.”  

The ambassador had further slammed Israel’s government saying, “While Russia slaughters our citizens, the Israeli government remains in its comfort zone and refrains from providing Ukraine with minimal defensive assistance.”  

Ukraine criticised China’s ambiguous position on war

On being questioned about Russia’s recent threat to use nuclear weapons amid the raging conflict, the Ukraine’s President stated that global powers such as the United States, Turkey and European Union would not allow such a development to take place. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy also criticised China’s ambiguous position on the war saying, “China itself cannot remain indifferent to this threat.”  

On Thursday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi had met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Chinese foreign minister had claimed that China would stick to an "objective" and "fair" position in regards to Ukraine and Russia’s ongoing war.  

Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, had also met Wang Yi during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This was the first meeting between the two since Russia’s invasion.   

The Foreign Minister of China reaffirmed to his Ukrainian counterpart that China respected “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its rejection of the use of force as a means of resolving differences,” Tweeted Kuleba following the meeting.  

However, China has so far made no concrete efforts to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In contrast, countries like Turkey have remained at the forefront to call for a peaceful solution to the raging war while also making diplomatic efforts to ensure regional well-being.  

Ankara had successfully established the Black Sea Grain Initiative in collaboration with the United Nations to alleviate the global food grain shortages due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Following this, Turkey also brokered a deal between Russia and Ukraine for the release of 200 prisoners of war.