Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked to hold a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Israeli and Ukrainian officials, as Israel looks to deepen cooperation with Ukraine on countering Iranian-made drones.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, confirmed that the request had been delivered but said the conversation had not yet taken place due to scheduling constraints. He said he hopes the call will occur early this week.
The planned discussion comes as Israel seeks to learn from Ukraine’s extensive experience intercepting Iranian-designed drones used by Russia during the war in Ukraine, with the aim of expanding cooperation between the two countries on counter-drone tactics.
“We support all our partners, especially after Iran shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane without compensation or acknowledgment,” Korniychuk said, referring to the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian airliner by Iranian forces that killed all 176 people on board.
Korniychuk added that Iran had supplied drone technology to Russia early in the war in Ukraine.
“We are not afraid of Iran,” he said. “We should be on the right side of history and civilization. We will support all our partners, including Israel in this operation.”
The ambassador also said intelligence contacts between Israel and Ukraine are ongoing.
“There are discussions that do not stop even for a moment between our intelligence services and Israel’s,” he said. “As ambassador I do not need to know everything, but clearly we are strengthening cooperation against the Iranian threat in the region.”
Ukraine has developed a range of tactics to intercept Iranian-designed Shahed drones, which Russia has used extensively. Ukrainian forces have shared intelligence with Israel and the United States and have developed relatively low-cost interception methods that do not rely on expensive interceptor missiles.
These include the use of counter-drones and electronic warfare systems, techniques that the United States has also adopted.
The cooperation comes after Zelensky earlier this week said Ukraine had sent interceptor drones and a team of drone specialists to Jordan to help defend U.S. military bases there.
Iran, for its part, has accused Ukraine of assisting Israel and has threatened retaliation. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security committee of Iran’s parliament, said Ukraine’s support for Israel made the country a legitimate target.
“By supporting the Israeli regime with drones, the collapsing Ukraine is effectively participating in the war,” Azizi said, adding that under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter Iran could consider Ukrainian territory a legitimate target.
Separately, Russia has protested to Israel over several strikes that Russian officials say targeted areas near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, where Russian experts are stationed, according to Israeli officials.