Netanyahu returns to Ukraine after 20 years to meet Zelensky

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu will visit Kyiv
on Sunday, August 18, thus becoming the first foreign leader to come to Ukraine
under the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky. Rferl.org states that the two
country leaders will visit the Babyn Yar memorial, which is the site of the
largest mass execution of Jews, Ukrainian nationalists and others in the former
Soviet Union by the Nazi regime. The meeting comes on the heels of President
Zelensky signing into force a free-trade agreement with Israel and a month
before parliamentary elections in Israel.

James Hydzik: President Zelensky has been public in his praise of Israel, not for
religious or ethnic reasons, but for Israel’s focus on security. While Russian
sources are claiming that Netanyahu will act as a mediator between Russia and
Ukraine during his visit in regard to the fighting in Donbas and the occupation
of Crimea, it is hard to see what he could say to someone who admires his hard
line on defense. Moreover, any cooling of ardor for defense could affect more
than just equipment sales, but also military ties between the two countries at
a time when each possesses know-how and experience against Russians and Russian
military systems that the other needs. For example, in October 2018, the Times
of Israel reported that Israeli experts came to Ukraine to study the S-300
anti-aircraft missile system that they face in Syria. If Netanyahu’s visit has
an angle regarding Donbas and Crimea, it will be more intricate than is being
made out in the Russian-sourced press.