Pushing for a direct stance against Russia, Left-wing members of the Israeli government said Foreign Minister Yarir Lapid’s latest statements in support of Ukraine were not enough

Deputy Economy Minister Yair Golan said Israel needs to maintain careful relations with Russia, but must still condemn its invasion of Ukraine.

“There is a concern of ruining ties and harming the coordination with Russia when it comes to Syria,” Golan noted. “But at this point of its attack on Ukraine, we must condemn it strongly.”

During a cabinet meeting on Monday, Golan, member of the dovish Meretz party, said the stance taken by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government on the conflict in Ukraine is unprincipled.

On one hand, it refrains from condemning the Russian invasion under the pretext of losing its interests in Syria, while on the other hand it is “shamefully” expelling Ukrainians refugees who have arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, he notted.

He urged the government to alter its “unethical behavior” immediately.

Lapid, for his part, condemned Russia’s “unjustified” invasion of Ukraine on a visit to neighboring countries on Sunday, in one of Israel’s most clear-cut criticisms of Moscow since war broke out last month.

He said Israel “calls on Russia to stop the shooting and attacks and to solve the problems around the negotiating table,” following a meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu, in Bucharest, as part of a diplomatic tour in Romania and Slovakia.