Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today drew parallels between Hamas and Russia in the wars in his country and in Israel, as a reminder that the conflict in Ukraine continues despite diverting attention and potentially aid to another part of the world. something the Kremlin already boasts about.
“These days our attention is focused on the Middle East. No one will ever be able to forget what the terrorists did in Israel,” said the president, of Jewish origin, during a telematic speech at the annual session of the NATO Assembly held in Copenhagen.
“And the Israelis themselves, the Israeli journalists who were here in Ukraine, who were in Bucha, now say that they saw the same evil as that caused there by Russia,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president maintained that the only difference is that in the case of Israel it attacked “a terrorist organization,” in reference to the Islamist movement Hamas, while in Ukraine it attacked “a terrorist state.”
“The declared intentions are different, but the essence is the same. One sees the same blood in the streets, the same civilian cars shot at, the same bodies of tortured people,” he stressed.
Zelensky also stressed that, just as Iran supports Hamas, it does so with Russia through the supply of Shahed kamikaze drones used in Ukraine.
The president’s call not to forget about Ukraine comes when kyiv is already concerned about the continuity of US military and financial aid amid disagreements among some Republicans in Congress over assistance to Ukraine. Now that attention has turned to Israel, its problems may pile up even more.
US President Joe Biden conveyed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that “additional assistance for Israeli defense forces is already on the way and that there will be more in the coming days.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba acknowledged in an interview with Forbes Ukraine magazine that “the closer the US presidential elections get, the more difficult times there will be” for his country in terms of US support.
In recent days, the US has reaffirmed its unwavering support for kyiv. The Telegraph newspaper assured on Saturday that Biden intends to ask Congress for $100 billion for Ukraine, the largest aid package to date, so that that country has enough aid until the presidential elections in 2024. Also the European Union (EU) has promised to continue helping Ukraine, most recently today.
“I don’t think anything influences in any way the support that the EU provides to Ukraine. This is beyond any shadow of a doubt,” community spokesman Eric Mamer said Monday at the European Commission’s (EC) daily press conference. ).
Asked today about Kiev’s fear that American aid will now go to Israel and not Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov criticized the Ukrainian authorities for their “suspicious” statements.
However, he reiterated that “the process of stuffing (…) Kiev with weapons in one form or another will enter a downward trend,” due to the “emotional fatigue” of the West and the “legitimate questions of taxpayers.” foreigners about how their money is spent.
In any case, he added, Russia’s war in Ukraine is being carried out “based on existing plans and everything is going according to them.” Ukraine has already accused Russia of taking advantage of the war in Israel.
Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) today denounced an alleged Russian operation that would have consisted of delivering Western weapons captured by Russian forces in Ukraine to Hamas to accuse the Ukrainians of having resold weapons to terrorist groups.