Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, arrived in Kyiv today to meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the first public visit to the Ukrainian capital by a senior Israeli official since Russia’s invasion last year.

Cohen is expected to meet with Zelenskiy as well as senior Ukrainian officials and leaders of the country’s Jewish community as part of the brief trip.

His visit came just before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and as western allies seek to ramp up support for Kyiv.

It was unclear whether Cohen would announce greater Israeli assistance to Ukraine, or whether the visit signifies greater engagement going forward.

Israel has supported Ukraine and provided humanitarian aid, and would continue to do so, Cohen said during a visit to a mass grave memorial in Bucha, outside Kyiv. He said:

"We’re here on an important visit of solidarity with the Ukrainian nation, which has certainly endured a very hard time in the past year.Since the outbreak of the war, Israel has walked a tightrope between assisting Kyiv and avoiding friction with Moscow, with which it has strategic regional interests."

While Israel has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has limited its assistance to Kyiv to humanitarian aid and protective gear. It has not imposed sanctions on Russia or Russian officials, shared intelligence or provided Ukraine with weapons.

The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has spoken about reviewing Israeli policy on the war in Ukraine but has stopped short of pledging any direct supply of arms to Kyiv.