Russia-Ukraine war: Israel says it will uphold sanctions against Moscow
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has said his country will not be used by Russia to circumvent sanctions imposed by the West after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and that his ministry is coordinating with officials on the matter.
Israel has so far not joined the sanctions in an apparent bid to avoid confrontation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following talks with the Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok on Monday, Lapid said: “Israel will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other western countries.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating the issue together with partners including the Bank of Israel, the finance ministry, the economy ministry, and others.”
Lapid visited Romania before arriving in Slovakia, both of which border Ukraine, and spoke to leaders in both countries about Russia’s invasion as well as bilateral relations with Israel.
'No justification'
During his meeting with Korcok, Lapid discussed Israel’s humanitarian work and diplomatic efforts over Ukraine and repeated that there was “no justification” for Russia’s invasion and its attacks on civilians.
“Israel, like Slovakia, condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and calls for an end to the fighting," he said.
"There is no justification for violating Ukraine's territorial integrity, and there is no justification for attacks on a civilian population.
“Israel will do everything it can to assist mediation efforts, to stop the shooting and restore peace.
"We are working together with our greatest ally, the United States, and our European friends to prevent the continuation of the tragedy.”
With public sympathy for Ukraine strong in Israel, the country’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem said on Thursday that it had suspended a strategic partnership with Roman Abramovich following Britain’s announcement of sanctions against the Russian-Israeli oligarch.
Abramovich was spotted on Wednesday evening dining in a private room at a luxury restaurant in Tel Aviv, according to Israel's Ynet, which later removed the story from its website.
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