Businessman Petro Poroshenko made an unpublicized visit to Jerusalem meeting President Peres, FM Lieberman
The frontrunner in the upcoming Ukrainian presidential election, businessman and chocolate tycoon Petro Poroshenko, made an unpublicized visit to Israel last weekend and met with President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday.
According to the report, Poroshenko spoke to Peres and Lieberman about the Ukrainian crisis and the future of Israel-Ukrainian relations, emphasizing the need for Israel to support Ukraine in the crisis with Russia.
So far, Israel remained neutral and quiet on the topic, even as criticism of Russia's annexation of Crimea and later support of separatists in East Ukraine mounted from many Western countries, especially the United States and European Union member states.
Poroshenko, who briefly served as Ukraine's foreign minister from late 2009 to early 2010, has been reported to maintain a friendly relationship with Lieberman, though Lieberman denied in interviews that he supports him or any other candidate in the Ukrainian presidential elections.