Israel didn't reject Zelensky's visit of solidarity request, just said that 'time isn't right' - Ukrainian FM

MOSCOW. Oct 19 (Interfax) - The Israeli authorities did not decline a request from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to make a visit of solidarity to the country, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said.

"We don't feel that we were rejected. We discussed the visit with them [the Israeli side] immediately after the Hamas attack, and they told us that we would have to wait. Tel Aviv wasn't expecting any foreign leader then. The phase has now changed," Ukrainian media quoted Kuleba as saying in an interview to the Italian daily La Repubblica.

The Israeli authorities told Zelensky who planned to make a visit of solidarity after the Hamas attack on Israeli that "the time is not right" for the visit, Israeli media said. Zelensky wanted to arrive in Israel together with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who went to Israel alone and has already visited the country twice since the escalation of the crisis, Israeli media said.