- July 8, 2026
- 3:13 pm
- Israel
On July 7, 2026, The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel reported a meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with representatives of leading Israeli think tanks on the Misgav Institute platform. Representatives from Misgav Institute, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, and Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs participated in the discussion.
The Ukrainian side was represented by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament and Co-Chair of the Ukraine-Israel Friendship Group Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk, and Honorary Consul of the State of Israel in Odesa Andriy Rykota.
The main topic of the meeting was security: Russia’s war against Ukraine, the consequences of Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure, numerous casualties among the civilian population, and the need for a more systematic Ukrainian-Israeli expert dialogue.
Why this meeting is important for Israel
At first glance, this is a diplomatic meeting between the Ukrainian delegation and Israeli experts.
But in essence, it is about a deeper process: Ukraine and Israel increasingly view their threats not as separate crises but as parts of a single international security system.
For Ukraine, the main threat is Russian aggression, missile strikes, drone attacks, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and war crimes against the civilian population.
For Israel, the key threats remain from Iran and its regional networks of influence.
This is why the embassy’s message specifically emphasizes the interest of Israeli experts in deepening cooperation with Ukraine in researching threats related to Iran’s activities in the Middle East and globally.
This is an important point of intersection.
Ukraine has extensive practical experience in modern warfare against a state that massively uses missiles, drones, information operations, and strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Israel, in turn, has been dealing for decades with threats from Iran, proxy structures, terrorism, regional instability, and hybrid pressure.
Who participated from the Israeli side
Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy describes itself as an independent and non-partisan think tank working in the field of Israel’s foreign and defense policy.
Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, known as JISS, is an independent research institute engaged in applied research in the field of foreign policy and security. The institute was established in late 2017.
Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs positions itself as a think tank working on issues of Israeli security, regional diplomacy, and international law.
For the Ukrainian-Israeli dialogue, it is important that the conversation took place not only at the level of official diplomacy but also with the participation of expert structures that influence the formation of the security agenda in Israel.
Such meetings allow translating general formulations of support and cooperation into more specific topics: threat analysis, experience exchange, joint research, public diplomacy, and work with international partners.
Ukraine, Israel, and the common challenge
The Embassy of Ukraine in Israel reported that during the meeting, the Ukrainian delegation informed Israeli partners about the ongoing war crimes of Russia against Ukraine, the consequences of the latest massive attacks on civilian infrastructure, and numerous casualties among the civilian population.
This is especially important for the Israeli audience.
After October 7, 2023, Israel itself lives in a reality where security, civil resilience, population protection, international support, and information warfare have become everyday issues.
The Ukrainian experience here is not abstract.
It is the experience of a country that, more than four years after the start of the full-scale invasion, lives under constant attacks, adapts its air defense system, protects critical infrastructure, documents war crimes, and simultaneously fights to maintain an international coalition of support.
In the middle of this discussion, the role of independent media is also important. NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency considers the Ukrainian-Israeli agenda in this context: not as a secondary topic of foreign policy, but as a matter of security, identity, and strategic choice for Israel.
The meeting at Misgav Institute shows that there remains space for a more serious conversation between Ukraine and Israel.
Not only about humanitarian aid.
Not only about diplomatic statements.
But about a joint understanding of threats, where Russia and Iran operate in different regions but use similar tools of pressure: military force, fear, disinformation, proxy structures, and attempts to undermine trust in democratic states.
What this might mean going forward
According to the embassy’s message, Israeli experts confirmed their interest in developing a systematic expert dialogue with Ukraine and emphasized the importance of further strengthening international support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
For Ukraine, this is an opportunity to more strongly enter the Israeli expert and political agenda.
For Israel, it is an opportunity to better utilize the Ukrainian experience of modern warfare, especially in matters of drones, missile attacks, protection of civilian infrastructure, cyber threats, and countering foreign influence campaigns.
For both countries, this is a step towards a more mature conversation about security.
Not declarative, but practical.
The meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with Israeli think tanks at Misgav Institute once again showed: the Ukrainian-Israeli dialogue should not be limited to protocol and diplomatic formulas.
It can become part of a broader system of responses to modern threats — from Russian aggression against Ukraine to Iranian activity in the Middle East and beyond.