Israeli foreign minister arrives in Kyiv to reopen embassy

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel's foreign minister arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday to reopen the Israeli Embassy.

"I arrived today on the first visit of an Israeli minister to Kyiv since the outbreak of hostilities," Eli Cohen said in a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Thursday's visit was the first for Cohen since taking office as foreign minister in December 2022.

"Last year, Israel stood by the Ukrainian people and by Ukraine, and today we will return the Israeli embassy in Kiev to continuous activity with the aim of strengthening relations between the two countries."

Cohen is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his counterpart, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, according to the statement.

Israel has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war launched by Russia on Feb. 24, 2022.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat