A portrait of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is painted on a building in Warsaw, Poland. Photo: AP
A portrait of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is painted on a building in Warsaw, Poland. Photo: AP
A portrait of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is painted on a building in Warsaw, Poland. Photo: AP
A portrait of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is painted on a building in Warsaw, Poland. Photo: AP

Zelenskyy tells Israel 'to make its choice' over Iron Dome sale to Ukraine


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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Israel for help to push back the Russian assault on his country.

He made the appeal during a video address to Israeli politicians.

In the latest in a series of speeches to foreign legislatures, President Zelenskyy questioned Israel’s reluctance to sell its Iron Dome missile defence system to Ukraine.

“Everybody knows that your missile defence systems are the best ... and that you can definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews,” said Mr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish.

He urged Israel to abandon its effort to maintain neutrality and said the time had come for Israel to firmly back his country.

“Ukraine made the choice to save Jews 80 years ago,” he said, a reference to the Holocaust.

“Now it’s time for Israel to make its choice.”

  • Firefighters put out a major blaze caused by Russian shelling at a food warehouse in Severodonetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region. AFP
    Firefighters put out a major blaze caused by Russian shelling at a food warehouse in Severodonetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region. AFP
  • Irina Zubchenko walks her dog Max amid the destruction caused by the shelling of a shopping center in Kyiv. AP
    Irina Zubchenko walks her dog Max amid the destruction caused by the shelling of a shopping center in Kyiv. AP
  • Ukrainian refugee Masha, 6, plays at the border crossing in Budomierz, Poland. Reuters
    Ukrainian refugee Masha, 6, plays at the border crossing in Budomierz, Poland. Reuters
  • A charred Russian armoured personnel carrier on the front line in the Kyiv region. Reuters
    A charred Russian armoured personnel carrier on the front line in the Kyiv region. Reuters
  • A volunteer takes position at a checkpoint in a district of Kyiv as Russian forces try to encircle the Ukrainian capital. AFP
    A volunteer takes position at a checkpoint in a district of Kyiv as Russian forces try to encircle the Ukrainian capital. AFP
  • Residents of Kyiv retrieve belongings from their homes in a five-storey residential building that partially collapsed after shelling by Russian artillery. AFP
    Residents of Kyiv retrieve belongings from their homes in a five-storey residential building that partially collapsed after shelling by Russian artillery. AFP
  • Police officers in Moscow detain a woman as she protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AFP
    Police officers in Moscow detain a woman as she protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AFP
  • A resident of the village of Krasylivka after Russian bombardment, part of Moscow's effort to move on Kyiv. AFP
    A resident of the village of Krasylivka after Russian bombardment, part of Moscow's effort to move on Kyiv. AFP
  • Tetiana Chornovol, a former Ukrainian MP, prepares to take position with an anti-tank missile on the front line in the Kyiv region. Reuters
    Tetiana Chornovol, a former Ukrainian MP, prepares to take position with an anti-tank missile on the front line in the Kyiv region. Reuters
  • A rescue worker at a shopping mall in Kyiv after a Russian air strike. Reuters
    A rescue worker at a shopping mall in Kyiv after a Russian air strike. Reuters
  • Ukrainian firefighters rescue a person buried beneath rubble after an explosion at a shopping centre in Kyiv. Reuters
    Ukrainian firefighters rescue a person buried beneath rubble after an explosion at a shopping centre in Kyiv. Reuters
  • Ukrainian police officers stand near a warehouse that was hit by the debris of a downed rocket in Kyiv. AFP
    Ukrainian police officers stand near a warehouse that was hit by the debris of a downed rocket in Kyiv. AFP
  • Graves are dug in a street in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters
    Graves are dug in a street in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters
  • Pro-Russia militia fighters travel by tank to the outskirts of Mariupol. Reuters
    Pro-Russia militia fighters travel by tank to the outskirts of Mariupol. Reuters
  • Milana, 6, who is recovering from leg wounds sustained when a Russian rocket hit her house on February 28, killing her mother, watches volunteers dressed as clowns at a children's hospital in Kyiv. Getty
    Milana, 6, who is recovering from leg wounds sustained when a Russian rocket hit her house on February 28, killing her mother, watches volunteers dressed as clowns at a children's hospital in Kyiv. Getty
  • Tetyana and other residents wait in Kyiv, after being relocated from Irpin town. EPA
    Tetyana and other residents wait in Kyiv, after being relocated from Irpin town. EPA
  • Rescuers carry a Ukrainian soldier saved after 30 hours trapped in the wreckage of a military school hit by Russian rockets, in Mykolaiv. AFP
    Rescuers carry a Ukrainian soldier saved after 30 hours trapped in the wreckage of a military school hit by Russian rockets, in Mykolaiv. AFP
  • A Ukrainian refugee arrives with her dog at the reception centre about three kilometres from the Moldova-Ukraine border. EPA
    A Ukrainian refugee arrives with her dog at the reception centre about three kilometres from the Moldova-Ukraine border. EPA
  • Volunteers in Kyiv prepare packages with food and other goods for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in cities across the country. EPA
    Volunteers in Kyiv prepare packages with food and other goods for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in cities across the country. EPA
  • Residents walk between damaged residential buildings in Mariupol. Reuters
    Residents walk between damaged residential buildings in Mariupol. Reuters
  • Participants illuminate the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna with the lights of their smartphones, during the charity concert We Stand with Ukraine. AFP
    Participants illuminate the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna with the lights of their smartphones, during the charity concert We Stand with Ukraine. AFP
  • Yana Hladiychuk of Ukraine with a "Stop War" message on her face after the women's pole vault, on the second day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. Getty
    Yana Hladiychuk of Ukraine with a "Stop War" message on her face after the women's pole vault, on the second day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. Getty
  • An Ukrainian girl in tears after crossing the border in Siret, northern Romania. AFP
    An Ukrainian girl in tears after crossing the border in Siret, northern Romania. AFP
  • A satellite image shows the aftermath of the Russian air strike on the Mariupol Drama Theatre. EPA/Maxar Technologies
    A satellite image shows the aftermath of the Russian air strike on the Mariupol Drama Theatre. EPA/Maxar Technologies
  • A woman takes cover in a military trench as a Russian jet fighter flies overhead, near the military school hit by Russian rockets the day before, in Mykolaiv. AFP
    A woman takes cover in a military trench as a Russian jet fighter flies overhead, near the military school hit by Russian rockets the day before, in Mykolaiv. AFP
  • A man walks amid debris in front of a Kyiv residential apartment complex that was heavily damaged by a Russian attack on March 18. Getty
    A man walks amid debris in front of a Kyiv residential apartment complex that was heavily damaged by a Russian attack on March 18. Getty
  • Residents carry water from a food warehouse, which is under the control of the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic, on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP
    Residents carry water from a food warehouse, which is under the control of the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic, on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP
  • Rescuers work at the site of the National Academy of State Administration building damaged by shelling in Kharkiv. AP
    Rescuers work at the site of the National Academy of State Administration building damaged by shelling in Kharkiv. AP
  • A satellite image shows artillery strikes and burning fields in Chernihiv. AP / Maxar Technologies
    A satellite image shows artillery strikes and burning fields in Chernihiv. AP / Maxar Technologies
  • A resident assesses her damaged flat in Mariupol. Reuters
    A resident assesses her damaged flat in Mariupol. Reuters
  • Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko keeps people away from a five-storey residential building that partially collapsed after shelling on March 18. AFP
    Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko keeps people away from a five-storey residential building that partially collapsed after shelling on March 18. AFP
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses crowds at a concert in Moscow to mark the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. AP
    Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses crowds at a concert in Moscow to mark the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. AP
  • Ukrainian policemen secure a residential area in Kyiv. Sergei Supinsky
    Ukrainian policemen secure a residential area in Kyiv. Sergei Supinsky
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. AP
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. AP
  • A cloud of smoke rises after an explosion in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 18. AP
    A cloud of smoke rises after an explosion in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 18. AP
  • Zinaida Pivtsova, 75, who fled the war in Ukraine, takes shelter in a sports stadium in Przemysl, south-east Poland. AP
    Zinaida Pivtsova, 75, who fled the war in Ukraine, takes shelter in a sports stadium in Przemysl, south-east Poland. AP
  • A police officer at abandoned residential buildings in Kyiv. AP
    A police officer at abandoned residential buildings in Kyiv. AP
  • Inside a shell-damaged school in Kyiv. AP
    Inside a shell-damaged school in Kyiv. AP
  • A woman cries before starting to clean the site where a bomb damaged residential buildings in Kyiv. AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd
    A woman cries before starting to clean the site where a bomb damaged residential buildings in Kyiv. AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd
  • A woman from Ukraine sits in a car with her children as a volunteer takes them to a hostel in Budapest, Hungary. AP
    A woman from Ukraine sits in a car with her children as a volunteer takes them to a hostel in Budapest, Hungary. AP
  • An abandoned flat in Kyiv. AP
    An abandoned flat in Kyiv. AP
  • A man removes a curtain inside a school in Kyiv. AP
    A man removes a curtain inside a school in Kyiv. AP
  • A worker sets up a billboard with the colours of the Ukrainian flag in Novoiavorisk, near Lviv. AP
    A worker sets up a billboard with the colours of the Ukrainian flag in Novoiavorisk, near Lviv. AP
  • Olga plays with her daughter Vedeneya in an empty park in Kyiv. AP
    Olga plays with her daughter Vedeneya in an empty park in Kyiv. AP

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has walked a careful diplomatic line since Russia launched its invasion on February 24.

Stressing Israel’s strong ties to Moscow and Kyiv, Mr Bennett has sought to preserve delicate security co-operation with Russia, which has troops in Syria, across Israel’s northern border.

Mr Bennett has held regular phone calls with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, including a three-hour meeting at the Kremlin on March 5.

While Ukrainian officials have voiced appreciation for Mr Bennett’s mediation efforts, Mr Zelenskyy implied on Sunday that this had been a mistake.

“We can mediate between states but not between good and evil,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Updated: March 20, 2022, 6:54 PM