Breaking neutrality, Israel condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in a statement calls Russia's mass invasion of its neighbor a 'serious violation' after a day earlier stopping short of condemning the country; Herzog says he 'fears a humanitarian tragedy' as missiles rain down on Ukrainian cities
Itamar Eichner, Gilad Cohen|
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began hours earlier, calling it a "severe violation of international order".
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • Israel has remained neutral on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as tensions between the two countries intensified in recent days. On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement, expressing support for Ukraine's sovereignty but stopped short of condemning Russia.
    3 View gallery
    יאיר לפיד, ולדימיר פוטין
    יאיר לפיד, ולדימיר פוטין
    Russian President Vladimir Putin Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
    (Photo: AP, Yoav Dudkevich)
    "The Russian attack all across Ukraine is a serious violation and Israel condemns it. Israel has known conflicts and war is not the way to resolve them. One can still stop and settle the disputes," Lapid said in a statement.
    The foreign minister added that Israel "has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine" and called on Israeli citizens still in Ukraine to leave the country.
    Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea early Thursday morning, confirming the worst fears of the West with the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.
    3 View gallery
    אנקים של צבע אוקראינה במריופול
    אנקים של צבע אוקראינה במריופול
    Ukrainian tanks in the city of Mariupol
    (Photo: Reuters)
    Russian missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders into the eastern Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, and landing by sea at the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.
    President Yitzhak Herzog, who is currently on a state visit to Greece, also addressed the events in Ukraine, saying he fears "a humanitarian tragedy and harm that could be done to innocent civilians".
    This is a very complex historical moment," he said, adding that he urges Israelis in Ukraine to "return through land crossings" since all flights in and out of the country have been suspended.
    3 View gallery
    יצחק הרצוג
    יצחק הרצוג
    President Yitzhak Herzog
    (Photo: Reuters)
    Ukraine, a democratic country of 44 million people with more than 1,000 years of history, is Europe's biggest country by area after Russia itself. It voted overwhelmingly for independence after the fall of the Soviet Union, and aims to join NATO and the European Union, aspirations that infuriate Moscow.
    Putin, who denied for months that he was planning an invasion, has called Ukraine an artificial creation carved from Russia by its enemies, a characterization Ukrainians call shocking and false.

    Reuters contributed to this report
    Comments
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""