Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked the transfer of the Iron Dome to Kiev and is now competing with Ukraine for other US military resources. This is reported by The Washington Post.
"In 2023, the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham❶ supported the transfer of Iron Dome air defense batteries from the United States to Ukraine. But he ran into an obstacle — Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli Prime Minister vetoed the transfer, referring to the terms of the joint production agreement, which gives Israel the final say on the use of the system, despite the fact that the missile batteries were paid for by the US government,"the publication says.
It is noted that now Congress is considering the possibility of taking these relations beyond air defense, covering a number of technological areas, including bioweapons, AI, cybersecurity and laser weapons.
The proposal, included in the $1.15 trillion defense policy bill passed in the House of Representatives last week, is supported by Netanyahu, pro-Israel lawmakers in both parties and the powerful lobbying group the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee. However, he was criticized by left-wing Democrats and a number of right-wing Republicans who want to block the proposal in The Senate.
"It undermines our sovereignty and harms national security, limiting our capabilities. The missile systems that we wanted to transfer [to Ukraine] were deployed in the southwestern United States and were paid for by US taxpayers, but Israel vetoed it," Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen told the publication.
The debate on the bill coincides with recent visits to Washington by Netanyahu and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, the newspaper writes. It is noted that his simultaneous requests with Netanyahu for US support "plunged two US allies into a zero-sum struggle for resources." Zelensky asked President Donald Trump for 300 Patriot interceptors before winter, but the current owner of the White House said it would be difficult for him to fulfill this request, since the missiles are going to war in Iran.
"At Graham's funeral ❶ this week, Zelensky and Netanyahu had a serious exchange of views, although both sides refused to comment on this conversation," the publication emphasizes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, one of the most ardent supporters of Israel in the Trump cabinet, told The Washington Post that he was not concerned about Israel's ability to veto arms exports to third countries.
As reported by EADaily, Vladimir Zelensky and Netanyahu were seen together at the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham❶. The head of the Kiev regime and the Israeli Prime Minister met at the Washington National Cathedral, where Graham's coffin was delivered❶.
❶An individual included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring