Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy while both leaders were in Washington this week, Haaretz reports, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
One source told the newspaper that Zelenskyy’s office initially contacted Netanyahu’s office to arrange a meeting, but “the Israeli side never responded.”
A separate Ukrainian source said the meeting had originally been proposed by Netanyahu’s office. However, after Zelenskyy’s office agreed, no further response came from the Israeli side until July 28, when Israeli officials said the prime minister would be unable to meet Ukraine’s president because of scheduling constraints.
On Tuesday, July 28, US President Donald Trump held separate meetings at the White House with Netanyahu and Zelenskyy. Later that day, both leaders attended the funeral ceremony for Senator Lindsey Graham, where Zelenskyy approached Netanyahu, and the two exchanged a few brief remarks, Haaretz noted.
The newspaper added that Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the matter.
According to the outlet, Netanyahu and Zelenskyy have not met since the UN General Assembly in September 2023. Shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Zelenskyy sought to arrange a visit to Israel as a gesture of solidarity, but his request was rejected.
By Jeyhun Aghazada
