Israel calls on Ukraine to designate Iran's IRGC as a ‘terrorist organization’
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar during his visit to Kyiv, Ukraine on July 23, 2025
JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization.”
Sa’ar met with Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where they discussed “joint weapons production and the strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense systems,” according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.
The two men discussed “the importance of enhancing bilateral relations, the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, with a focus on Iran.”
During the meeting, Sa’ar urged Zelenskyy to promote legislation in the Ukrainian parliament that would designate the IRGC as a “terrorist organization.”
Sa’ar arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday, marking the first visit by a senior Israeli official to Ukraine since 2023.
His visit to Ukraine came as Israel continues its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 59,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system and led to severe food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
