Euroasian Jewish News

Open Statement of the Vaad of Ukraine

Open Statement of the Vaad of Ukraine

The Vaad of Ukraine declares a resolute protest against the approval by the representatives of Ukraine in the UN of the latest set of anti-Israel resolutions. Unfortunately, and to our great disappointment, Ukraine's support for such resolutions has become systemic.

On October 28, 2022, at the meeting of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, a vote was held on the draft resolution “The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.” Among the rest, the text of the Resolution reaffirms “the importance of Israel’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, in realizing the goal of universal adherence to the Treaty in the Middle East.”

The delegation of Ukraine voted “for” this resolution, joining, among others, such countries as the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Belarus, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Many of the countries that supported the document possess nuclear weapons themselves or seek to possess them, are in active armed conflict with their neighbors, and threaten regional and global security. Among the sponsors of the resolution are countries such as Sudan, Somalia, and Libya. Among others, the United States and Canada voted “against.” Most of Ukraine's European allies abstained. This step caused serious discussions in Israel at the time, weakening the position of supporters of Ukraine. Today, when a new government is being formed in Israel, such a step by Ukraine will give additional arguments to the forces in Jerusalem that oppose the supply of weapons to our country.

In 2020, our organization has already expressed its indignation at such actions by Ukraine's representatives in the UN, but it turned out that inertia, conservatism, and shortsightedness in some areas of Ukraine's foreign policy continue to act and, in our opinion, harm the international image of our country (https://vaadua.org/news/zayava-prezidiyi-vaadu-ukrayini).

On November 11, 2022, at the meeting of the Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, votes were held on five more draft resolutions that could be interpreted as anti-Israel. Once again, the Ukrainian delegation voted “for”, along with the mentioned authoritarian countries carrying out or supporting armed aggression against it, while most of Ukraine's key allies voted “against” or abstained.

The votes of the Ukrainian delegation once again cause bewilderment and indignation. We would like to get an explanation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President of Ukraine: why our UN delegation is against Israel and its allies from among the democratic Western countries, and is acting together with authoritarian regimes, including Russia, which is carrying out the ninth year of aggression against our country and the ninth month of active hostilities aimed at its destruction?

Meanwhile, the Israeli delegation consistently supports the Ukrainian position in all voting’s in the UN General Assembly, including by condemning the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation and attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territory. The state and society of Israel provide humanitarian support to Ukraine. Thousands of Israelis devote themselves to volunteer work to provide the most diverse assistance to the Ukrainian people. Hundreds of Israelis are fighting as part of the international brigade of Ukraine's Armed Forces. It is completely incomprehensible why Ukraine decided “in gratitude” to support the opponents of Israel, including countries that do not recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist at all and officially proclaim the need for its destruction.

We are aware that it is considered good form for the UN as a whole to support the policy of limiting nuclear weapons. The establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East region has been discussed in the General Assembly for the last quarter of a century. Many Israel-friendly countries did not consider it possible to vote against, but among those who abstained are Australia, Albania, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Denmark, India, Italy, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Romania, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Estonia. Support for a resolution calling for the nuclear disarmament of a country that is under direct and obvious threat from aggressive neighbors that are dozens of times greater in area and population is especially surprising in the case of Ukraine. Our country gave up nuclear weapons in exchange for international “promises” of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and was soon subjected to armed aggression by one of the “guarantors.” Our country could realize the real consequences of implementing such irresponsible ideas in practice. It would seem that it would be logical and understandable for the Ukrainian delegation to vote against this resolution, even if no other country in the world objected or, at least, could refrain from supporting anti-Israeli draft resolutions.

In this context, Ukraine's support for these resolutions is completely beyond logical understanding.

Ukraine's vote plunged not only Israelis but also representatives of Jewish communities around the world — in particular, in the United States — into the deepest bewilderment. We are talking about people who are making great efforts to help Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression, and for whom the support of Israel is a vital value.

We are awaiting explanations from the country's Foreign Ministry and the President's Office and express the hope that such unfriendly actions against our partners and allies will not be repeated on any international platform, in particular, during further voting on similar resolutions.

Presidium of the Vaad of Ukraine

November 13, 2022