Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urged Israel to increase its aid to Ukraine.
Israeli leaders have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and they have provided Kyiv with humanitarian relief and protective gear, but have also shopped short of providing them with military equipment.
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The secretary made his plea on Thursday flanked by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a press conference at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel.
"Now, Israel has been providing helpful humanitarian support for Ukraine and I'm also grateful for Israel's participation in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that I convene," Austin explained. "Yet we're also calling on all of our allies and partners to step up now at this hinge moment in history."
"Nations of goodwill, and especially our fellow democracies, must all urgently do their part to help Ukraine fight for its freedom," he added. "And we must all come together to resist Putin's grim vision of a world where autocrats get to decide which countries can be snuffed out. So we'll continue to stand up for our interests, our principles, and our friends."
Israeli officials have been hesitant to provide military aid to Ukraine, concerned that it would lead to retaliation from Syria, where Putin and Iran have deployed forces to prop up Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s “looking into” providing Ukraine with military support, noting that they are helping Ukraine with their military or intelligence operations against Russia’s main ally in Iran.
“But what we have with Russia is a complex relationship because not very far from here, a few miles from here, on our northern border in Syria, Israeli aircraft and Russian aircraft are flying within spitting distance of each other,” he said in a CNN interview on Jan. 31. “That is, Russia is in — militarily in Syria. Iran is trying to implant itself in Syria right next to our northern border, the way they did with Lebanon with Hezbollah.”
“I'm looking into other kinds of aid. But, realistically, Israel, in confronting Iran, is also confronting the main partner of Russia,” Netanyahu added.
Gallant, when asked about what it would take to send military aid to Ukraine, said they "are doing our best efforts in coordination with the United States to help the Ukraine government to protect its people, and we are doing it under the understanding of what are the Israeli interests in the region."
He and Austin also discussed the growing threat from Iran, which is on display in Ukraine as Tehran has provided Russia with hundreds of drones.
"Iran remains the primary driver of instability in the region and we remain deeply concerned by Iran's support for terrorism, its dangerous proxies, its nuclear advances, its aggression at sea, its cyber threats, and its proliferation of attack drones and advanced conventional weapons," Austin said, adding that the administration believes "diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."
U.S. officials have warned in recent weeks that Iran's aid to Russia has expanded in recent weeks and that their partnership is growing. Russia is planning to provide Iran with "unprecedented defense cooperation including on missiles, electronics, and air defense," while Iran will provide them with more weapons for their use in the war, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters last week.
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Iran's participation in the war is providing them with "important battlefield expertise," Austin added.
"Iran is gaining important battlefield expertise and experience in Ukraine that will eventually transfer to its dangerous proxies in the Middle East," he said. "In return for Iranian support in Ukraine, Russia has been offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including on missiles and air defense. And all that just reminds us of the stakes as Russia's cruel and unprovoked war of choice enters its second year."