Ukraine War Update: Israel Could Send Weapons, EU to Train Troops
Israel, EU Take Historic Steps to Support Ukraine:
Israel and the European Union are preparing to take historic steps to support Ukraine as its military prepares to fight hundreds of thousands of new Russian troops – steps that could ultimately provoke new and serious retaliations from the Kremlin.
While the European Union has remained overwhelmingly in support of Kyiv since the beginning of the invasion, Israel has maintained hesitancy to firmly take a side in the conflict and instead attempted to serve as a mediator between the two sides.
By avoiding a full condemnation of the Kremlin, Israel hoped to maintain its close diplomatic relations with Russia and the Western world. Home to roughly 1.2 million Soviet immigrants and their descendants, and dependent on Russia’s military command in Syria allowing Israeli jets to fly through Syrian airspace, Israel not only hoped to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow but even stood in the way of the United States transferring Iron Dome missile systems to Ukraine.
With the Kremlin doubling down with a partial mobilization of soldiers in September and new reports that Iran is preparing to send ballistic missiles to Russia, however, Israel could be set to finally take a side in the war.
In a tweet shared on Sunday, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai appeared to suggest that Israel could be prepared to provide military aid to Ukraine.
“This morning it was reported that Iran is transferring ballistic missiles to Russia,” Shai wrote. “There is no longer any doubt where Israel should stand in this bloody conflict. The time has come for Ukraine to receive military aid as well, just as the USA and NATO countries provide.”
Shai was responding to reports that Iran is preparing to send Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar short-range ballistic missiles to Ukraine with enormous ranges of 300 and 700km. The missiles would give Russia the ability to perform yet more hugely damaging missile strikes across Ukraine from Russian territory, aiding Putin’s campaign of terror and contradicting the Russian president’s recent suggestion that he is not out to “destroy” Ukraine.
Meanwhile, EU Prepares to Train Thousands Of Ukrainian Soldiers
Reports also revealed over the weekend that the European Union is preparing to announce as soon as Monday that Ukrainian soldiers will be trained on its own soil. It follows months of debate between EU member states about the best way to help prepare Ukraine for the deployment of Russian reservists.
The training would see regular Ukrainian citizens preparing to head to the battlefield and assist with new counter-offensives, and to create an effective defense against Russian forces as they attempt to regain full control of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Spike Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The decision comes with some risk, with some EU leaders warning that it could trigger new retaliation from Russia, though the decision is not without precedent. The United Kingdom has long provided training to Ukrainian military personnel throughout the conflict, though the EU’s involvement could dramatically change the dynamics on the battlefield in the coming weeks and months.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.