Ukraine could suspend visa-free travel with Israel amid latest entry obstructions for Ukrainians - Ambassador

This was stated by the country’s Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk, who spoke with the Israeli newspaper Detaly, Ukrinform reports.

According to the diplomat, this is due to the restrictions that Israel has been imposing on refugees from Ukraine.

The envoy noted that the Israeli Interior Ministry has reduced the list of family members who have the right to visit their Israeli relatives. Healthcare-related invitations are not being considered. In addition, electronic visas have been introduced for the Ukrainian citizens willing to enter.

"And it would be okay if these (restrictions - ed.) concerned all those involved in the war. But Russian citizens enter Israel without restrictions and Belarusian citizens do, too, while Ukrainian nationals face these electronic visas. Neither I nor my superiors can help but take it painfully. I am told by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian President’s Office that this is unacceptable. We are now considering whether we should suspend our visa-free travel for Israelis in response. It won’t be noticeable at the moment but ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Israeli government will feel it," Korniychuk said.

According to the ambassador, due to this attitude on the part of the Israeli authorities, there has been a serious outflow of Ukrainians from Israel recently.

"Since the onset of active hostilities, according to statistics, 38,500 have entered your country, of which about 13,000 people have obtained Israeli passports. Of this total, 14,100 have already left. In the last month, more than 5,000 people left. This once again confirms that the artificial restrictions are unjustified," the ambassador stressed.

Korniychuk added that the situation in Ukraine remains difficult as the country is suffering huge losses and destruction. "We don’t think Israel owes us anything. But from a moral perspective, shouldn't you be on the right side in this war? We are alone facing this great trouble and are waiting for help from our partners – either paid or free, any kind, but we don’t want them to just sit on the shore waiting out until someone starts winning. Cause when we do, then they will start helping us more,” suggested the ambassador.

As reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 23 that Ukraine is grateful to Israeli society for its support in countering Russian aggression, but also wants help from the Israeli authorities, which has not yet come.

Photo: Emil Shleimovich