Putin: Israel Should Not Send Weapons to Ukraine in Retaliation for S-300 Delivery to Iran

While the Israeli Prime Minister harshly criticized Russia's decision to deliver the S-300 missile system to Iran on Sunday, the Russian President also urged Israel not to think about retaliation and not to send advanced weapons to the Ukrainian army. Benjamin Netanyahu expressed deep dissatisfaction during his government meeting in Jerusalem on April 30, calling the deal to lift the ban on selling S-300 missile systems to Iran a cause for Iran's 'increased audacity' and 'aggressive spirit' in the region. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to proceed with the deal after a five-year suspension during a meeting with Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, who had traveled to Moscow. Netanyahu criticized this decision again on Sunday, although he had previously requested a 'review' of Russia's decision in two phone calls with Putin, who emphasized that the delivery of these missile systems to Iran does not threaten Israel's security. Meanwhile, according to the Jerusalem Post, on Saturday, Putin had asked Israel to refrain from considering retaliation by sending modern weapons to Ukraine. Putin stated, 'If Israeli leaders choose to send weapons to Ukraine, we will only witness more bloodshed, but even the delivery of these weapons by Israel will not change anything in Ukraine.' Israeli media reported last week that the country had been facing requests for weapons from some former Soviet republics for some time, but following Russia's definitive decision to deliver the S-300 systems to Iran, Israel is now considering the possibility of supplying weapons to the Ukrainian army. The political conflict between Russia and Ukraine has turned into battles between pro-Russian Ukrainian rebels and the Ukrainian army, resulting in thousands of casualties and extensive destruction. According to Israeli media reports, Ukraine, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, all of which have good relations with Israel, had previously requested modern weapons from this country, but Israel had refrained from these transactions due to its close relations with Vladimir Putin. Netanyahu, during his government meeting on April 30, also referred to the military weapons of Iranian forces showcased during the 'Army Day' ceremony in Tehran on April 29, stating, 'They show increasingly lethal weapons every year, but one thing does not change; the slogan 'Death to Israel' written on the missiles.' In some years, during the 'Army Day' parade in Iran, the slogan 'Death to Israel' has been inscribed on Iran's long-range missiles, including the 'Shahab-3' missiles that can reach Israel. Last Wednesday, Netanyahu also claimed in a speech on 'Holocaust Remembrance Day' in Israel that the Lausanne agreement is 'a repetition of a grave mistake, similar to the historical mistakes of the world's powers regarding the Nazi regime in Germany on the eve of World War II.' According to Netanyahu, 'The powers of today's world also turn a blind eye to the aggressive policies of the Iranian regime towards the region and the world... preferring to compromise with the leaders in Tehran.' Since the beginning of the negotiations between Iran and the world powers regarding the framework of the Lausanne agreement, Israel has strongly opposed it, claiming that if this agreement serves as the basis for a final nuclear deal, Iran's nuclear program could pose a 'vital threat' to Israel's existence. Netanyahu also claimed on April 30 that the final nuclear agreement with Iran should be conditioned on 'the end of Iran's aggressions'; he has been in intensive contact with U.S. congressional leaders to prevent the lifting or reduction of sanctions against Iran. Iran continues to regard its nuclear program as peaceful and insists on the need to lift sanctions from 'the first day' of the implementation of the final nuclear agreement. Iran has also welcomed Russia's decision to deliver the S-300 systems, calling it a step towards strengthening its defensive capabilities. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Armed Forces, also referred on April 30 to the statements of Israeli leaders and some American officials who have recently spoken again about the 'military option' against Iran, saying, 'They are making an additional mistake, then they say, do not have defensive capabilities.'