Celebrations were held in the capital of Ukraine on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the State of Israel. The event brought together representatives of the diplomatic corps, Ukrainian authorities, the Jewish community, public organizations, artists and friends of Israel from different regions of Ukraine.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodsky delivered a welcoming speech.
“Thank you for joining us today to celebrate the 77th anniversary of Israel’s independence,” the Ambassador addressed the guests.
He emphasized the deep historical and mental connection between the Ukrainian and Israeli peoples:
“There are few countries in the world that understand each other better than Israel and Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, from the first day of Russian aggression, the people of Israel supported Ukraine. On October 7, when the horrific terrorist attack on Israel took place, the people of Ukraine unequivocally supported our country. We feel this support and highly appreciate it,” the diplomat emphasized.
The ambassador devoted a special place in his speech to the topic of freedom and the price paid by the peoples of both countries for their independence.
“Our peoples are acutely aware of the high price we have to pay for our independence. We pay for it with the blood of our children and our loved ones. Israelis and Ukrainians live in hope for a speedy end to the war and peaceful life,” Brodsky said.
The ambassador expressed confidence in a common future:
“I am confident that in spite of everything, we will cope with our problems. That despite wars and terror, our countries will remain free and independent,” he said.
The diplomat also mentioned the historical figure of Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel, who was born in Kyiv:
“Recently, we have often recalled Golda Meir. Many of her quotes sound very modern today. I would like to remind you of one of her statements: “Pessimism is a luxury that Jews can never afford.” This fully applies to Ukrainians as well,” Michael Brodsky emphasized.
Israel’s Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut) is celebrated according to the Jewish calendar on the 5th of Iyar (May 13, 2025). It was on this day in 1948 that David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the independent State of Israel in Tel Aviv after the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. The very next day, the newly created state was attacked by neighboring Arab countries, which marked the beginning of the War of Independence. Since then, Israel has annually celebrated this date as a symbol of victory, survival, and national revival of the Jewish people.
Israel has sent several hundred portable EcoFlow charging stations to Ukraine to help Ukrainians get through the winter and cope with electricity problems, the press service of the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine reported on Thursday.
“The Israeli Embassy in Kyiv and MASHAV (the Center for International Cooperation of the Israeli Foreign Ministry) will hand over portable stations to families in need in different regions of Ukraine,” the embassy’s press service said in a statement. The State of Israel recognized Ukraine’s independence on December 25, 1991. On December 26, 1991, diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the State of Israel were established. In 1993, the Embassy of the State of Israel was opened in Kyiv. Since 2021, Michael Brodsky has been the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel to Ukraine.
To restore the reclamation system in southern Ukraine, after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, Israel proposes to focus on the development of wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water
To restore the reclamation system in southern Ukraine, after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, Israel proposes to focus on the development of wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water. This was announced by Denis Gamzin, designer of the Israeli Water Authority, during the conference “Israeli Water Supply and Agricultural Technologies – Experience for Ukraine” held at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Israel has turned an environmental threat into a valuable resource. The country, which is located in the desert, reuses about 450 million m3 of treated wastewater, which is half of the water needs of agriculture, and 90% of treated wastewater is used for irrigation. In general, treated wastewater covers 25% of all Israel’s water needs, another 25% is desalinated water and 50% is fresh water,” said Denis Gamzin. According to him, in the next 25 years, the share of treated wastewater in Israel’s agricultural consumption will increase to almost 70%. “Israel is strengthening control over the quality of wastewater treatment and expanding the practice of secondary and tertiary use of treated wastewater,” added Denis Gamzin.
Israel is also actively developing seawater desalination plants. “There are currently three large seawater desalination plants in Israel with a capacity of 400 million m3. In the next 10 years, 4 more plants will be launched, and the processing capacity will increase to 1200 million m3,” said the designer of the Israel Water Authority.
According to Denys Gamzin, Ukraine has a great potential to use treated wastewater and sea water for agricultural purposes, primarily for the needs of agriculture. The large territory allows choosing rational locations for desalination plants, unlike in Israel, where, due to the lack of land, plants are located not near water sources, but where there is free land, sometimes in the center of the country.
Yonatan Tsadka, Director of the Department of Economic Affairs for Asia and Eurasia at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that modern water treatment technologies have emerged thanks to Israel’s policy of developing innovations. According to him, Israel is focused on innovative areas, especially in the circumstances in which Israel found itself. “There are national plans that allow the entire population to focus on creating breakthrough technologies that will be very important in the future. One of the driving factors is climate change. In this area, Israel has a certain advantage, and new challenges strengthen our resilience. Now we are facing the issues of migration of foreign workers and changes in supply chains,” said Yonatan Tsadka.
Vitaliy Holovnya, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, noted that the issue of efficient use of water resources and the search for new sources of water for irrigation is important for Ukraine. “This is a topical issue in connection with climate change and the loss of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in terms of irrigation and water supply. Implementation of projects following the example of Israeli ones will help solve food security issues,” said Vitaliy Holovnya.
Gennadiy Chyzhykov, President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted that Israel has shown one of the best results during the war. “This country’s experience will be very useful for Ukraine,” he said.
Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky said that the Watec Israel conference will be held in Jerusalem on September 16-19, 2024. “This is a unique opportunity to see different technologies that have been working in different countries for many years and can be useful for Ukraine,” said Michael Brodsky.
According to the State Agency of Ukraine for the Development of Land Reclamation, Fisheries and Food Programs of Ukraine, the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP left 94% of irrigation systems in Kherson, 74% in Zaporizhzhia and 30% in Dnipropetrovs’k regions without a source of irrigation for a long time. In total, more than 350 irrigation pumping stations and about 1.1 thousand kilometers of reclamation canals cannot be used. (source: https://agronews.ua/news/stalo-vidomo-skilky-znadobytsya-chasu-na-vidnovlennya-systemy-zroshennya/)
According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, in 2021, the volume of discharged wastewater amounted to 4.686 billion m3, of which 58% was normatively clean, 30% normatively treated and 12% polluted. (source: https://eu4waterdata.eu/images/pdf/library/Ukraine_5th_reporting_cycle_UKR_2022_final.pdf)
Active Group and Experts Club conducted a joint study on the attitudes of Ukrainians toward the countries of East Asia and the Middle East. The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency in June 2024. The research was presented by Maksym Urakin and Oleksandr Poznyi. The results of the study are as follows:
The results of the survey are as follows:
Completely positive – 25.6
Mostly positive – 46.9 %.
Mostly negative – 8.1 %.
Completely negative – 4.1%.
Difficult to answer – 15.3%.
Positive – Negative – 60.3
On December 26, 1991, diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the State of Israel were established. In 1993, the Embassy of the State of Israel was opened in Kyiv.
The joint survey by Active Group and Experts Club on the attitudes of Ukrainians towards East Asia and the Middle East was conducted in April-May 2024. It covers such countries as Turkey, Iran, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, India, China, Republic of Korea, DPRK, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Syria, and Iraq. Full information on the research is available on the website of the Club of Experts at
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that both Israel and Palestine have been invited by the Ukrainian side to the Peace Summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland.
“We have no double standards. That is why, despite – whether someone likes it or not, we invited both Palestine and Israel to the Peace Summit. And representatives of the Global South. We have invited all countries to our Summit. We are ready to hear all thoughts, ready to talk to them all,” Zelensky said while speaking to the media on the margins of the Dialogue – Shangri-La conference in Singapore on Sunday.
Among the uninvited countries, the president noted, is only Russia.
“And not just because they are aggressors. Although that is point number 1. Point number 2 is that we had summits with Russia as, for example, within the Normandy format, after which they did not fulfill the agreements and continued to kill us and block processes, including the ceasefire,” he said.
Earlier, as part of his speech at the Dialogue – Shangri La conference in Singapore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an objective assessment of Ukraine’s position on the situation in the Gaza Strip, stressing that Ukraine is a just country that respects international law and the UN charter and recognizes two states – both Israel and Palestine.
On May 20, 2024, the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine held a diplomatic reception in Kyiv on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the State of Israel.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodsky welcomed distinguished guests to the event, including representatives of diplomatic missions of foreign states accredited in Ukraine, Ukrainian politicians and statesmen, representatives of law enforcement agencies, businessmen, representatives of the Israeli community, and cultural figures.
The event began with the performance of the National Anthem of Israel and Ukraine by the men’s quintet of the Verevka Choir.
Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodsky delivered a speech in Ukrainian in which he emphasized that this year the Israeli people celebrate their main national holiday in times of war.
“It is difficult for us to rejoice this year. One and a half thousand Israelis were brutally murdered on October 7, and more than 130 of our fellow citizens are still in the hands of terrorists.
This year we are especially acutely aware of the high price we have to pay for our independence. We are paying for it with the blood of our children and our loved ones,” said the Ambassador.
In his speech, the Ambassador also emphasized that in difficult times of trial, both nations demonstrate understanding and amazing support for each other.
“There are few countries in the world that understand each other better than Israel and Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, from the first day of Russian aggression, the people of Israel supported Ukraine. On October 7, the people of Ukraine unequivocally supported Israel. We feel this support and highly appreciate it. I am confident that in spite of everything, we will cope with our problems. That despite wars and terror, our countries will remain free and independent,” – the Ambassador added.
On behalf of the Ukrainian government, Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, expressed congratulations on the occasion.
During the reception, a photo exhibition “Design Duty” was held, featuring designers from Israel and around the world.
