For the first time since the Russian invasion to Ukraine in 2022, a senior Ukrainian official at the level of a minister will arrive in Israel at the head of a delegation aimed at advancing economic cooperation.
Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for European integration and trade, will head a delegation to Israel in two weeks to hold discussions as part of the Joint Ukrainian-Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation – meetings that have not taken place since 2021.
“We are planning the delegation to be led by the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European integration and trade, and this is a very important event for us. I very much hope it will be successful,” Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, told the Post.
On the Israeli side, Ze'ev Elkin, a minister in the Finance Ministry, will head the talks. “We will discuss issues that can bring immediate, positive results to relations between the two countries – such as agriculture, the economy, and AI technologies. I’m looking forward to the meetings.”
In 2024, trade volume between Israel and Ukraine rose sharply – by about 65% compared to 2023 – reaching nearly 1 billion USD.
Ukraine, Israel move to expand economic cooperation
The ambassador said he hopes the meetings will elevate Israel–Ukraine cooperation to a new level and further increase bilateral trade. He added that he believes the majority of Israelis support Ukraine.
“People understand who the aggressor is and who the victim is,” he said.
Korniychuk told the Post that during the delegation’s visit, a monument commemorating the Holodomor – the 1932–1933 famine in Ukraine that killed millions and is widely attributed to Soviet policies – will be inaugurated in Jerusalem.
“It’s a major monument honoring the great famine in Ukraine that took the lives of 6 million Ukrainians, including several hundred thousand Jews. It is something very important for us – and important to remember.”