Ukraine's Ambassador Prays at Western Wall for 'God to Have Peace in Our Land'

JERUSALEM, Israel — The Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, accompanied by a delegation from Kyiv, prayed for his country at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Friday.

"We want to pray before Shabbat to ask God to have peace in our land as fast as possible," said ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk.

The delegation is visiting Israel to rally support for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Israel has delivered several tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and has opened a special field hospital in western Ukraine.

But it has rejected pleas to provide arms or impose sanctions against Russia or its oligarchs, some of whom are Jewish and have strong ties to Israel.

With large Jewish populations in both Ukraine and Russia, Israel is wary of antagonizing either side.

Israel also has good working relations with the Russian military in neighboring Syria -- where both sides' maintain a special hotline to make sure their air forces do not come into conflict.

The Israeli public has been largely supportive of Ukraine since Russia invaded its western neighbor on February 24.

But Israel's government has been much more cautious as it carves out a role as a mediator in the war.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett paid a surprise visit to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin in March.

While Israel's foreign minister has strongly condemned the invasion, Bennett has used more tepid language to maintain an air of neutrality.