Ukraine planning to open diplomatic office in Jerusalem

(A7) The Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniichuk said on Thursday that his country is in the final planning stages before opening a diplomatic office in Jerusalem.

“My country recognizes the one and only capital of Israel, and that is Jerusalem,” Korniichuk said at an event marking 30 years of relations between Ukraine and Israel, according to JPost.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit Israel next year and open a branch of the embassy in Jerusalem dedicated to promoting economic and technological cooperation, the ambassador stated.

Following the event, he clarified that the embassy office is not final yet, but that he discussed it with Zelensky in October, and that it is likely a matter of months before the office in Jerusalem can be opened.

Former US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017, and subsequently relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Other countries who followed suit and opened embassies in Jerusalem are Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo.

Some countries have not relocated their embassies but have opened diplomatic offices in Jerusalem as a way of recognizing Israeli sovereignty in its capital city.

Among the countries to have taken this route are Colombia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The opening of the embassies and diplomatic offices in Jerusalem has angered the PA, which demands that Jerusalem be the capital of any future state.