Former Israeli minister Nathan Sharansky met last week in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Sharansky is a renowned refusink who was imprisoned during the 1970s and 1980s by the Soviet regime. He met with Zelenskyy in his current position as chair of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center board. 

“I was embarrassed to be the first Israeli public figure to meet with him. Since the outbreak of the war, many world leaders have come to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy," said Sharansky after the meeting. "No one has come from Israel, not even a Knesset delegation. It’s really a disgrace. In every meeting there is massive disappointment with Israel.”

Ukraine recently stepped up its pressure on Israel to supply it with missile defense systems. Reports of Russia using Iranian drones against Ukrainian civilians are pushing Israel into a corner. Zelenskyy has hinted that Russia might agree to assist Iran with its nuclear project in exchange for its drone assistance.

Yesterday, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk told The Hill that Tehran’s military assistance to Moscow should convince Jerusalem to provide military assistance to Kyiv. Korniychuk also said his country wants the United States to step up pressure on Israel on the matter.