Snipers take part in military exercises at a firing ground of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, January 17, 2022. REUTERS/Anna Kudriavtseva

i24 News – Ukraine asked Israel for assistance with air and cyber defenses, the country’s foreign minister told Israeli media on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said there was “very deep cooperation” between the two countries during a press conference.

“We are also interested in deepened defense cooperation … in particular related to air defense,” he told a Kan reporter.

“We would welcome the effort of Israel to play a diplomatic role between Ukraine and Russia,” he added.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told Axios on Wednesday he doesn’t believe there will be a violent confrontation between Russia and Ukraine.

“At the moment, the (Israeli) assessment is that we don’t see a violent confrontation soon. I also don’t think a world war is about to start there,” Lapid told Axios.

He stressed that Israel faces a complicated situation due to the large Jewish communities in both Russia and Ukraine.

“We have a duty to act with caution about the Russia-Ukraine crisis that no other country has,” he said, according to Axios.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Lapid on Monday, asking Israel to convey to Russia a message on the need for de-escalation, Axios reported, citing unnamed Israeli officials.

“This was the second time in recent weeks Blinken asked Israel to pass on such a message.”

Last month, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.