Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants his country to become a “great Israel” with its own face after the end of the Russian invasion, stressing that security is likely to be the main issue in post-war Ukraine. In comments to local media posted on the president’s official website on Tuesday, Zelensky stressed that his vision for the future of Ukraine after the conflict included armed forces in “all institutions, supermarkets, cinemas, there will be people.” with weapons “. In Israel, images of armed civilians, settlers and soldiers are commonplace, and the government often invokes security. Zelensky, who is Jewish, has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining close ties with Israel, which he hailed as a role model for Ukraine. “I am confident that our security issue will be number one in the next 10 years,” Zelensky said, dismissing the idea that post-war Ukraine would emulate a liberal European democracy like Switzerland as a model. He said that the Ukrainian people “will be our great army”. Zelensky also said that Ukraine would not be “completely liberal, European.” that it would have to take on a different mode of operation. “Ukraine will certainly not be what we wanted it to be from the beginning. “It is impossible,” he told Ukrainian media. “Absolutely liberal, European – it will not be like that. The [Ukraine] it will surely come from the power of every house, every building, every person. “ Zelensky stressed that Ukraine will not slip into authoritarianism. “An authoritarian state would lose to Russia. “People know what he is fighting for,” he said. Despite his ties to Israel, Zelensky, however, was critical of the government’s embarrassing stance on the Russian war in his country. After taking a relatively quiet stance on the invasion, the Israeli prime minister issued a statement condemning the alleged atrocities in Bukha, near Kyiv. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told reporters on Tuesday that he was shocked by the horrific images that emerged from Bucha, but stopped accusing Russian forces of committing alleged war crimes or holding Moscow accountable. “We are, of course, shocked by the harsh scenes in Bucha. “Terrible images and we strongly condemn them,” he said. “The suffering of the people of Ukraine is enormous and we are doing everything we can to help.” Israel has emerged as a mediator in efforts to end the war, given its good relations with both Ukraine and Russia. In an effort to maintain his relationship with Vladimir Putin, Bennett has been measured in his criticism of the Russian president. On the contrary, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has expressed his harshest condemnation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Bennett referred reporters to comments by Lapidne, who described the deaths of civilians in Bhutan as a war crime. “Images and testimonies from Ukraine are horrific, Russian forces have committed war crimes against a defenseless civilian population. “I strongly condemn these war crimes,” Lapid said in a statement.
