Israel Blocks Transfer of Weapons to Ukraine

Israel has informed the Baltic countries that it will block the supply of Israeli weapons to Ukraine by third countries, Ukrainian newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reported Monday.

“Following the announcement by the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania of having received U.S. approval to transfer American-made weapons to Ukraine as part of efforts to support Kyiv ahead of a potential Russian invasion, the Israeli Defense Ministry informed the three Baltic states that their possible request for the transfer of Israeli-made weapons would be rejected,” the publication’s website said on Saturday evening, citing Breaking Defense.

It is emphasized that this decision was caused by Israel’s desire to balance its relations with Russia.

'Like the United States, Israel initially approved strict end-user regulations on the sale of weapons that legally limit the ability of the buying country to ship equipment to a third party without the permission of the original manufacturer. The decision to ban was prompted by fears that Ukraine would seek to obtain Spike anti-tank systems, a joint German-Israeli production,' the report said.'

This information was not confirmed by the Ministries of Defense of the Baltic States.

The Israeli Defense Ministry also declined to comment on this information, but anonymous sources in the Israeli military department noted the “delicacy of the policy” that the Israeli government should pursue when it comes to Russia.