Israeli Foreign Minister arrives in Kyiv

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has arrived in Ukraine on an official visit, the Times Of Israel reports.

Cohen will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Cohen is the highest-ranking Israeli official to visit Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion. The visit was kept secret for security reasons. There is also no official information from Ukrainian sources about Cohen's visit.

So far, Cohen has visited the town of Bucha, where Russian troops killed more than 450 civilians. He also visited Babyn Yar in Kyiv, where the Nazis murdered more than 30,000 Jews in September 1941.

"I have come to say that Israel stands with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in this time of need," Cohen tweeted.

The Minister is expected to announce the reopening of the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv, which was closed due to the war.

Earlier, Cohen emphasized in his inaugural speech to the Foreign Ministry staff that the new government would "talk less" and continue to help Ukraine.