U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in the briefing room of the State Department in Washington, U.S. January 7, 2022. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

JNS.org – Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

According to a State Department readout, the two foreign ministers discussed “the premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack by Russia’s military forces on Ukraine and its people.”

On Twitter, Lapid said that he “expressed concern for the safety of Israelis trying to leave Ukraine and updated the secretary of state on Israel’s [planned] humanitarian aid to Ukraine.”

“The secretary of state updated me on the steps the United States is taking at this stage and we have agreed to continue talking in the coming days,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Lapid accused Russia of “violating international order,” after the Kremlin invaded Ukraine.

“Israel condemns the attack and is ready to provide humanitarian aid to the citizens of Ukraine,” Lapid tweeted. “Israel is a war-torn country. War is not the way to resolve conflicts.”

Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Lapid, also met on Thursday to discuss the situation.

“The consequences of the crisis, in its diplomatic, economic and security aspects, were reviewed in the discussion,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.