The phone call scheduled between Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov was postponed on Thursday, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gantz told European ambassadors that Israel would not provide arms to Ukraine, despite Tehran reportedly supplying Russia with “suicide drones” used against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
“Our policy regarding Ukraine will not change - we will continue to support and stand with the West, but we will not provide weapon systems,” he underlined.
Nevertheless, Gantz revealed that a new aid package to Ukraine would include the construction of a smart missile defense alert system, similar to the one that exists in Israel.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gantz reportedly rejected Kyiv’s request to hold a phone conversation with Reznikov shortly after Ukraine said it would officially ask for Israel’s air defense systems including the Iron Dome.
According to sources, the two countries have been trying to arrange the call for weeks but it has been postponed several times.
Tehran has repeatedly denied the allegations that they supplied Russia with drones although Iranian instructors were seen in annexed Crimea, training the Russian troops on their use, according to multiple reports.
The EU imposed sanctions Thursday against three Iranian generals and an arms firm accused of supplying the drones to Russia.
"We clearly see that Iran is supplying Russia with offensive capabilities in the form of drones and will likely express readiness to supply additional, more advanced means soon," Gantz said.
"If in this matter Iran is lying to the world, there is no doubt it will lie about everything related to developing a nuclear weapon, as it has done in the past. Therefore, we have to increase intelligence and operational cooperation within the international community," Gantz said.