Israel’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, is paying a visit to Ukraine, arriving in Kyiv early Thursday morning on a train from Poland.
During his visit, the Israeli minister is expected to meet, among other things, with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. This is the first visit of an Israeli minister to the country since the war broke out, and it takes place a week before the anniversary of the outbreak of the war, February 24, 2022. Among the places Cohen visited was the town of Bucha, where a brutal massacre was carried out by the Russian forces last year.
#BREAKING: For the first time since the start of the war: a senior Israeli official in Kyiv. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen came to visit Ukraine. Expected to meet with President @ZelenskyyUa, and FM @DmytroKuleba pic.twitter.com/SxfASKYHFp
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) February 16, 2023
Upon his arrival, he laid a wreath at a memorial erected in Bucha. During his visit, he said: "This is a place that suffered a very serious attack and innocent people were killed here. We cannot stay silent in these sights and we hope that in this place they can return to quieter and better days." He later stated: "Today we will raise the Israeli flag at the Israeli embassy in Kyiv, which will return to continuous activity with the aim of strengthening relations between the countries."
In the meantime, during his visit to Bucha, the minister and his entourage visited the home of Zhanta Butenko, an 82-year-old Jewess who lived alone in the city of Hostomel near Kyiv, which was severely damaged at the beginning of the war. Her house was damaged by Russian shelling. She received assistance from the Jewish community and told the minister of her dreams of visiting Israel. The minister gave her a radiator and a warm blanket to help keep her warm through the rest of the bitterly cold Ukrainian winter.
"We want to preserve the special relationship we've always had with Ukraine," said the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, noting that the two countries have common interests, including the Iranian issue. "We have a great identification of interests because of the Iranian involvement. There is a lot to talk about and I believe the topic will come up," he says. However, Brodsky also stated to reporters that there are differences as well between Israel and Ukraine that should be addressed.
'It is impossible to be indifferent to the sights, the mass graves we saw'
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) February 16, 2023
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen speaks on the war crimes committed by #Russia during his visit to Bucha, #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/DobYFLoSQE
"It is no secret that we are not completely satisfied with the way they vote at the UN and we are working very hard on it. Our efforts are bearing fruit and you can see this in Ukraine's latest vote at the UN." Brodsky, along with the entire staff of the Israeli embassy in Ukraine were working part-time up until this point due to the ongoing Russian threat.
