Israel Denies Planning to Supply Ukraine with "Merkava" Tanks

The Israeli Ministry of Defense, in a comment to the Russian agency "Sputnik", A Russian news agency, denied press reports that indicated the possibility of transferring Israeli "Merkava" tanks to Ukraine.

"Reports about the transfer of Israeli tanks to Ukraine are false, and due to the conflict in Europe, several countries have expressed interest in obtaining Merkava tanks from the IDF's reserves," the ministry said in a statement in response to a request from Sputnik to comment on related media reports.

The head of the Defense Export Department at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, General Yair Kulas, confirmed in an interview with Calcalist magazine that Israel is negotiating the sale of Merkava tanks with two countries, one of them in Europe.

According to Kulas, the negotiations have reached an advanced stage. At the same time, the general stressed that the Ministry of Defense and the country's political leadership adhere to a "clear and balanced" policy prohibiting the supply of weapons to Ukraine.