Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the ongoing US and Israeli war against Iran could further reduce Ukraine's support for the war against Russia. He noted that the US focus has already shifted to the war against Iran, and that allowing Russia to sell oil has affected Russia's ability to wage war against Ukraine.
The president announced this in an interview with the Associated Press.
“We must admit that we are not a priority today. That is why I fear that a prolonged war against Iran will give us less support,” Zelensky said.
He noted that the main problem is the supply of additional missiles to Ukraine for Patriot air defense systems. Ukraine needs them, but these systems have never been supplied in sufficient quantities, Zelensky said. If the war with Iran does not end soon, “the package, which is not very large for us, I think, will be smaller and smaller every day,” the president said.
To avoid this possibility, President Zelensky announced that Ukraine is improving relations with Middle Eastern countries and is ready to sell them weapons to intercept Iranian drones. In return, these countries could help Ukraine with “anti-ballistic missiles,” Zelensky said.
President Zelenskyy said that Russia provided Iran with intelligence on about 50 Israeli energy facilities for attacks.
According to him, Ukraine was not asked for help in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz. However, the Ukrainian side can share its experience, as it had a similar problem with restoring the food corridor in the Black Sea.
Zelensky also stated that Russia is benefiting economically from the war in the Middle East due to the limited easing of US sanctions on Russian oil.
“Russia gets extra money because of this, so yes, they have advantages,” the president said.
On March 13, the United States issued a 30-day license to purchase Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea. The U.S. Treasury Department said this would help stabilize global energy markets.
Zelensky said that Russia is “intensifying its spring offensive.” The Russian military has already tried to break through defense lines in several strategic areas on the front line.
President Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian military continues to defend Ukraine from the Russian Federation because “territorial compromise and giving up land will not be on Ukraine's agenda.”
On March 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not believe that the peace talks had reached a dead end, and expressed hope that a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia would take place in the coming weeks.
On March 27, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is holding daily negotiations with the American side regarding the organization of the negotiation process, but due to difficulties in determining the venue for them, Kyiv is actually forced to act as a “mediator in this process.”