To the Israeli delegation visiting the Ukrainian capital this week, the sound of sirens warning of incoming drones or missiles was familiar. But one important difference: Ukraine has no Iron Dome, no multilayered Israeli-style air defense system that can provide the same sense of protection as back home. When the alerts sound, people simply head underground and wait.
That was how Tuesday night unfolded for former minister Kharkiv-born Ze'ev Elkin and members of an Israeli delegation visiting Kyiv this week.
As ballistic missiles and drones targeted the Ukrainian capital, the delegation eventually spent the night together in a makeshift shelter arranged by the Israeli Embassy at their hotel, sleeping on beds placed side-by-side inside the protected room.
Elkin and the delegation had arrived in Ukraine for the 85th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre, when Nazi forces and their collaborators murdered tens of thousands of Jews in a ravine outside Kyiv in September 1941.
Ukraine today is fighting a war that has entered another dangerous and uncertain phase. Russian forces continue to attack Ukrainian cities, while Ukrainian forces have demonstrated an increasing ability to strike targets deep inside Russia.
The deterioration in the security situation prompted several international delegations expected to attend the Babyn Yar commemorations to cancel their visits. Among the senior-level delegations that did arrive were those from Israel and Germany.
Elkin was part of Israeli delegation, including Yad Vashem officials, to attend Babyn Yar memorial
The Israeli delegation included Elkin, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan, Yad Vashem representatives, and senior officials involved in Israel’s relations with Ukraine.
The symbolism was striking: a ceremony dedicated to remembering one of the darkest chapters in European history taking place while the same continent is once again experiencing a major war.
The most significant political meeting came unexpectedly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Elkin and the delegation to meet with him after learning that the Israeli minister was in Kyiv. The two discussed the war, the regional situation, and the strategic calculations surrounding Israel, Ukraine, and the United States.
Zelensky was particularly interested in Israel’s assessment of developments involving Iran and the broader Middle East.
Ultimately, both Israel and Ukraine understand that, as cooperation between Russia and Iran grows, what happens in Kyiv can eventually reach Jerusalem.
According to multiple reports, Iranian and Russian facilities are operating jointly inside Russia, where the two countries are upgrading their drones – with Iran receiving some of the drones.
Zelensky warned the Israeli delegation that the drones Iran is developing together with Russia today, combined with the operational experience the two countries are gaining, could eventually become a threat Israel will have to confront.
Beyond his meeting with Zelensky, Elkin met with senior Ukrainian government officials, including the speaker of the parliament and the minister responsible for rebuilding the country’s infrastructure following the war – a role that parallels Elkin’s own responsibilities for the reconstruction of Israel’s North and South.
Elkin, Israeli delegation held memorial for October 7 victims
Together with the Jewish community in Ukraine and the Israeli Embassy, Elkin and the delegation also held a memorial ceremony for the victims of the October 7 massacre.
The message from the Ukrainians in their meetings was clear: They want to see improved relations.
The central question hanging over Kyiv is whether the war is moving toward a negotiated settlement or another escalation.
Ukrainian attacks have increasingly reached targets inside Russian territory, changing a dynamic in which the fighting was largely concentrated inside Ukraine. At the same time, Russian forces have struggled to achieve rapid breakthroughs along the front.
That combination creates a dangerous incentive for Moscow to search for a new way to alter the balance.
The most difficult issue in any potential negotiations remains the Donbas.
Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in Donetsk Oblast, effectively demanding that Kyiv abandon positions that Ukrainian forces have defended since the war that began in 2014.
For Ukraine, the problem is not simply political.
The Donbas contains a defensive system built over more than a decade. Ukrainian forces have spent years constructing fortifications and positions there, and Russia’s slow progress demonstrates how difficult those defenses are to overcome.
Giving them up would mean more than surrendering territory. It would mean moving the defensive line westward and creating a new strategic vulnerability.
That is why the issue has become one of the hardest obstacles to any potential agreement.
Elkin's visit carried unavoidable symbolism.
At Babyn Yar, Elkin delivered his remarks in Ukrainian – a gesture that attracted attention in a country where language and identity have themselves become part of the struggle with Russia.
During their meeting, Zelensky highlighted Elkin’s command of Ukrainian, joking that his grammar and pronunciation were better than those of some Ukrainian ministers.
The Babyn Yar ceremony was intended to remember a catastrophe that took place 85 years ago. Yet in today’s Kyiv, remembrance and reality are impossible to separate.