A long Iran war could take support for Ukraine: Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has expressed concern that a protracted U.S.-Israeli war against Iran could further erode American support for Ukraine as Washington’s global priorities shift and Kiev prepares to reduce deliveries of critically needed Patriot air defense missiles.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press in Istanbul late Saturday, Zelenskiy said Ukraine needs more U.S.-made air defense systems to counter daily Russian attacks.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, its brutal strikes on urban areas behind the front lines left thousands of civilians dead.
It also targets Ukraine’s energy supply to disrupt the industrial production of Ukraine’s newly developed unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles, while also denying civilians winter heating and drinking water.
“We must admit that we are not our priority today,” Zelenskiy said.
“So I fear that a long (Iranian) war will give us less support.”
The last US-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kiev ended in February without any signs of progress.
Accusing Russia of “trying to prolong negotiations” while continuing its occupation, Zelenskiy said Ukraine is in contact with US negotiators about a possible agreement to end the war and continues to press for stronger security guarantees.
But even those discussions reflect Ukraine’s broader loss of focus, he said.
Zelenskiy said his most pressing concern is the Patriots needed to intercept Russian ballistic missiles, as Ukraine still lacks an effective alternative.
Zelenskiy said that these US systems were never delivered in sufficient quantities to begin with, and if the Iran war does not end soon, “I think the package, which is not very big for us, will become smaller and smaller every day.”
“So of course we’re afraid,” he said.
Zelenskiy relied on European partners to help make Patriot purchases despite supply shortages and limited U.S. production capacity.
But the Iran war, now in its sixth week, has sent shock waves through the global economy and engulfed much of the Middle East region, further straining already limited resources, diverting stockpiles and leaving Ukrainian cities more vulnerable to ballistic attack.
One of Kiev’s main goals is to weaken Moscow’s economy and make war prohibitively costly.
Rising oil prices as Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz undermines this strategy by increasing the Kremlin’s oil revenues and strengthening Moscow’s capacity to sustain the war effort.
Drawing attention to the limited easing of US sanctions against Russian oil, Zelenskiy said that Russia gained economic benefits from the Middle East war.
“Russia gets additional money because of this, so yes, they have benefits too,” he said.
Russian officials said on Sunday that a fire broke out at a major oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region after a drone attack, while another drone damaged a pipeline in Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, home to a major oil export terminal. There was no loss of life.
Russia could reap a windfall from a rise in oil prices and a temporary U.S. exemption from Russian oil sanctions designed to ease supply shortages while the Iran war continues.
Russia is one of the world’s major oil exporters, and Asian countries are increasingly competing for Russian crude as the energy crisis escalates.
In response, Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russian oil facilities, which has shaken Moscow.
To keep Ukraine on the international agenda, Zelenskyy has offered to share Ukraine’s hard-earned battlefield expertise with the United States and its allies to develop effective countermeasures against Iranian attacks.
Ukraine has welcomed Russia’s increased use of Iranian-made Shahed drones with increasing sophistication, technological prowess and low cost.
Moscow significantly modified the original Shahed-136, which was rebranded as Geran-2, improving its ability to evade air defenses and mass-produced.
Ukraine responded with rapid innovations of its own, including low-cost interceptor drones designed to track and destroy incoming drones.
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine is ready to share with the Gulf Arab countries targeted by Iran its experience and technology, including interceptor drones and maritime drones that Ukraine has produced (more than used) with funds from Americans and European partners.
Zelenskiy said that in return, these countries could help Ukraine with “anti-ballistic missiles.”
