Former Israeli PM Yair Lapid Pledges Military Aid to Ukraine if He Returns to Power

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he would restore military aid to Ukraine if he returns to office.

He made the remarks in an interview with Israel’s Yesh Atid television channel, as reported by ZN.ua.

Lapid said that both the war in Ukraine and the balance of power in the region have changed in recent years. He pointed to growing ties between Russia and Iran, including military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, as a key factor.

“I think that if we return to power, we will do much more than we did before. The war has changed, and so has the balance of power,” Lapid told Yesh Atid.

He added that Israel should do everything it can to support Ukraine.

He also explained why his government decided not to provide Ukraine with weapons or the Iron Dome missile defense system in 2022.

According to Lapid, Israel’s own security concerns were the main reason for that decision.

During his time as prime minister, Lapid supported humanitarian aid for Ukraine. In particular, Israel sent a field hospital and medical staff to Ukraine.

Lapid also acknowledged that he had misjudged the Russian leadership’s intentions at the start of the full-scale invasion.

The politician also highlighted Ukraine’s experience in combating drones. According to Lapid, Ukraine has developed technologies and capabilities that could benefit Israel.

Militarnyi previously reported that Israel had blocked the transfer of U.S.-made Iron Dome air defense batteries to Ukraine.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham pushed for the transfer in 2023. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vetoed the proposal, citing the terms of the agreement on the joint production of the system, which gave Israel the final say over its use.

Although the batteries were purchased and maintained with funding from the U.S. government, Israel stated that it was concerned that the Iron Dome’s sensitive technology could fall into Iran’s hands.

Instead of the Iron Dome systems, Israel returned Patriot batteries to the United States, which were later transferred to Ukraine.