Statement by Foreign Minister Lapid in Athens Lapid in Greece, today (Photo: Oz Avital, GPO) (Photo: Asi Efrati, GPO)
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who is due to become the 14th Prime Minister of Israel in two years and four months, is the more aggressive figure against Russian President Vladimir Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, almost six full weeks ago.
While the current prime minister, Naftali Bennett, treats Russia’s actions in Ukraine with cautious words, Foreign Minister Lapid is much more assertive.
In a joint statement issued today (Tuesday) in Athens with the foreign ministers of Greece and Cyprus, Lapid said: “We are meeting in difficult days. There is a war in Europe. Another large and powerful country invades without any justification for a smaller and weaker country. Crime. “
At this point, Lapid raised the bar in his opposition to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, following the harsh scenes from Bocha: “The images and testimonies coming from Ukraine are appalling. Russian forces have committed war crimes against a defenseless civilian population. I strongly condemn these war crimes.”
Although Ukraine is taking blow after blow, the foreign minister referred to the global struggle against Russia, which does not include military participation: “The world is not silent. The world is not cynical and is not limited only by interests and economic benefit.