Israel reprimands Ukrainian ambassador Korniychuk after stinging criticism of PM Netanyahu

Israel summoned the Ukrainian ambassador for a reprimand on Wednesday, after he strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making positive comments about his relations with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.

Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand meeting with the Deputy Director-General for Euro-Asia, Yuval Fuchs, the ministry said.

This came after Korniychuk implied that Netanyahu’s remarks that he maintains a “close personal connection” with Putin were immoral in an interview with Ynet News.

Fuchs, according to Ynet, clarified that Korniychuk’s statements were completely unacceptable and deviated from diplomatic protocol. “Moreover, the ambassador’s remarks ignore Israel’s clear stance since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, as expressed, among other things, in Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s visit to Kyiv this year and in Israel’s votes at the UN,” Fuchs’s statement said.

Fuchs “expressed hope that the ambassador’s statements will align with the shared desire of both countries to continue strengthening their cooperation.”

The controversial statement came as Netanyahu addressed the Knesset during the “40-Signature” Knesset debate on Monday.

“We have ongoing contact with another global power – Russia,” Netanyahu said, adding, “I speak with President Putin on a regular basis, and this personal relationship of several decades safeguards our vital interests.”

“Including now, including attempts to prevent us from defending our northern border – which of course will not happen. The United States, India, Germany, Russia – these are four powers whose relations with us have only strengthened as a result of the war,” the prime minister said.

Israel’s diplomatic relations with Russia and Ukraine have been highly complex since the start of Russia’s invasion.

In February, Israel went against Ukraine in a UN vote, following heavy American pressure, despite generally supporting Ukraine in the UN since the Russian invasion.

However, since 2015, Ukraine voted against Israel 122 times, and abstained from votes against Israel another 41 times, according to UN Watch.

Netanyahu and Putin reportedly have had warm personal relations for years, despite growing tensions between the countries as Russia became increasingly hostile to the U.S. while moving closer to China and Iran.

The Russian military lost its presence near Israel’s northern border with Syria a year ago, however, recent reports suggest it is trying to restore its relations with Syria while negotiating with Sudan to establish a naval base on the Red Sea, giving it another presence near Israel’s southern sea border.

As long as Russia’s military was stationed in Syria, Israel was forced to maintain good working relations with it, but the relationship with Ukraine has improved over the past year, as Foreign Minister Sa’ar in July embarked on the first high-profile diplomatic visit to Ukraine since the start of the war.

Korniychuk strongly objected to Netanyahu’s positive portrayal of Russia, noting that it is on the side of Hamas and Hezbollah.

“I cannot advise your prime minister on what to say in his speeches, but I want to remind you that Russia – supposedly ‘the great power,’ as the prime minister called it – has been engaged in a brutal war against Ukraine for nearly four years,” the ambassador told Ynet.

“They kill women and children, massacre civilians, and create many problems in terms of international law and humanitarian issues. Therefore, I was very surprised by the prime minister’s position, that he is a good friend of Putin, given that Israel was also severely harmed just two years ago. I am referring to October 7, and of course one must stand on the right and moral side of history. I am sure that most Israelis are aware of Russia’s many attempts to support Hamas and Hezbollah.”

“Your army showed me a massive arsenal of weapons produced in Russia and seized from Hezbollah in an operation,” Korniychuk continued, “If the relations are so good – why did this happen? I read in open sources that Russian instructors train Hezbollah and Hamas, and that they frequently travel to Moscow to negotiate and receive Russian support. Ukraine supported Israel at the UN – Russia never supported Israel at the UN.”

“From a moral perspective, especially after the Israeli people – whom I greatly respect – experienced the horrors of Hamas over the last two years, I believe morality must prevail,” the ambassador said.

“This is not the first time Netanyahu praises Putin, but I am speaking here about the moral aspect. I just want to remind Israelis not to forget this. Do not forget October 7, who supported Hamas and Hezbollah and who did not. This is not only about us – it is also about you,” he concluded.