Zelenskyy, Netanyahu Discuss Ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine, Peace Deal With UAE, COVID-19

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2020) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the two discussed the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the Israeli agreement to normalize ties with the United Arab Emirates, the president's office said Friday.

"The Israeli Prime Minister welcomed the agreements reached on the establishment of a comprehensive ceasefire on the line of contact in eastern Ukraine and the progress in implementing the Minsk agreements," a press release published on the Ukrainian presidential website read.

Zelenskyy, for his part, congratulated Netanyahu on the peace agreement reached with the UAE, saying the agreement may serve as an example for the region.

"This is a historic achievement and a clear example of the opportunities for dialog and diplomacy that other countries in the region can follow," Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.

The two leaders also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic with Zelenskyy making known his readiness to partake in Israeli development of a vaccine.

"Ukraine should be among Israel's friends who will be the first to join the study and use of the vaccine," Zelenskyy said.

The statement went on to say that Netanyahu assured his Ukrainian interlocutor that his government was working to ratify the Israel-Ukraine Free Trade Area Agreement.

Ukraine and Israel are linked through the sizable Jewish denomination that has historically lived in Ukraine, with many Israeli citizens having emigrated from the Eastern European nation.