Moscow - US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid will discuss the increase of Israel's military assistance to Ukraine during their meeting in Jerusalem, a senior US official said.
“I’m not going to go into specific forms of support... I think we’ve — Israel has done quite a bit. And I think they just announced yesterday — Minister of Defense Gantz — about protective gear, other forms of humanitarian aid.
“And, of course, we welcome that. And I think there are some specific needs we might discuss with the Israelis,” the official said on Wednesday during a press call ahead of Biden's visit to the Middle East.
Israel has been reluctant to supply Ukraine with weapons, balancing its position with relations with Russia. However, Israel joined in the UN General Assembly with a condemnation of Russia's actions in Ukraine.
The senior US official did not go into details on what specific assistance will be discussed between the leaders of the two countries during the meeting.
In May, the Israeli defence minister noted that the country sent humanitarian aid and non-offensive equipment to Ukraine. According to media reports, Israel rejected a US request to allow the transfer of its technology and weapons to Ukraine, arguing that the country would only supply non-lethal equipment.
Biden is travelling to the Middle East for the first time during his tenure as the US president, with visits to Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia scheduled from July 13-16.
Besides Lapid, Biden will meet with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Sputnik