A few months later, the Ukrainian government asked the U.S. government to purchase the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Because the Iron Dome is a joint U.S.-Israeli project, the sale also required permission from the Israeli government, which Israel reportedly refused to grant.

That refusal was not based on any concern with whether the sale was a good idea for Eastern Europe, but on Israel’s desire to maintain a good relationship with Russia, according to the Times of Israel. Russia, which has forces stationed in Syria, gives Israel tacit permission to intervene in the Syrian civil war.