Short answer: Yes, with important nuance. As of August 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (still Ukraine's sitting president) has consistently affirmed Israel's right to self-defense and deepened diplomatic contact with Israeli leaders, including backing US and Israeli strikes on Iran as recently as February 2026. He is Jewish and has spoken publicly about relatives lost in the Holocaust. At the same time, he has voiced support for a two-state solution, saying in June 2024 that Ukraine recognizes both Israel and Palestine, though Ukraine has not formally recognized a Palestinian state, called for humanitarian access in Gaza, and separately criticized Israel's government for not sending Ukraine military aid. His position is best described as a friendly, pragmatic partner to Israel, not an unconditional advocate.
What Volodymyr Zelenskyy has actually said and done
January 24, 2020: On a visit to Israel for a Holocaust remembrance forum, Zelenskyy publicly told the story of his own family's losses in the Holocaust, relatives killed by Nazi occupiers in Ukraine, underscoring his Jewish identity ahead of any Israel-related diplomacy, according to Kyiv Post.
March 20, 2022: In a live address to Israel's Knesset, Zelenskyy appealed for military support by comparing Russian rhetoric to the Nazi "final solution." The comparison was contested, not simply praised: several Israeli lawmakers, including Likud MK Yuval Steinitz, criticized it as inappropriate, per the Times of Israel and JTA.
October 7, 2023: On the day of the Hamas terror attack, Zelenskyy issued a statement saying Israel's "right to defense is indisputable," condemned the attack as terrorism against all of humanity, and offered condolences. He also sought to make a solidarity visit to Israel but was told the timing was not right, according to the Times of Israel.
June 2, 2024: Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Zelenskyy said Ukraine recognizes both Israel and Palestine as states, reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, and said Ukraine is ready to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza while stressing that international law must be respected, per the Kyiv Independent.
November 19, 2024: In a Fox News interview, Zelenskyy said "Israel made a mistake" on a political level for not providing Ukraine with military weaponry after Russia's 2022 invasion, saying Israeli leaders had been "afraid of Putin." This is a criticism of Israel's policy toward Ukraine, not of Israel's conduct in its own conflicts, reported the Times of Israel and Israel National News.
February 2026: Zelenskyy held a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, thanking Israel for its solidarity with Ukraine and for supporting a UN General Assembly resolution marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, according to the Office of the President of Ukraine.
February 28, 2026: Amid renewed US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Zelenskyy said in a video address that the strikes gave the Iranian people a chance to oust the "terrorist regime" in Tehran, explicitly backing the US and Israel and noting Iran's role supplying Russia with Shahed drones used against Ukraine, per the Times of Israel.
The fuller picture
Zelenskyy is Jewish, one of only a small number of Jewish heads of state, and has spoken publicly about relatives killed in the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. That personal history has shaped a genuinely warm, high-contact relationship with Israel: an unambiguous public statement that Israel's right to self-defense is "indisputable" on October 7, 2023, and, most recently in February 2026, explicit backing of US and Israeli military action against Iran, a country Ukraine accuses of arming Russia with Shahed drones.
At the same time, Zelenskyy's foreign policy is filtered through Ukraine's own war with Russia and its need for broad international backing, which produces positions that read as more balanced than a simple "pro-Israel" label. In June 2024 he stated that Ukraine recognizes both Israel and Palestine as states and called for humanitarian access to Gaza and adherence to international law, a position most Israeli officials would see as measured rather than adversarial, but distinct from unconditional alignment. He has also aired public frustration with Israel, saying in November 2024 that Israeli leaders made a political "mistake" by withholding military aid to Ukraine out of fear of provoking Russia. That criticism is about Israel's stance toward Ukraine, not about Israel's own conduct in its conflicts.
There is no public record of Zelenskyy participating in or endorsing boycotts of Israel; his government has instead pursued closer coordination, including on Iran-related security matters.
The bottom line
Zelenskyy supports Israel's right to exist and defend itself, has strengthened practical ties with Israeli leaders through 2026, and is personally connected to Israel through his Jewish identity and Holocaust family history. He is not a boycotter or critic of Israel's legitimacy. But he is also not an uncritical cheerleader: he backs a two-state solution, has pushed for humanitarian access to Gaza, and has separately criticized Israel's own government for withholding military aid to Ukraine. The overall picture is a supportive, engaged relationship with real diplomatic give-and-take, not a one-line "yes" or "no."
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Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
