Almost three weeks ago, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran that targeted its military and naval forces and killed some of its top leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict prompted Tehran to retaliate. While many continue to speculate who will emerge victorious, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the winner as of now appears to be his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
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In an interview with the BBC, Zelenskyy said that with the US war in Iran, Kiev will likely face a shortage of missiles it uses to fight Russia. Zelenskyy said Putin wants a “long war” between the US, Israel and Iran, a conflict that would weaken Kiev as US resources are deployed elsewhere.
Zelenskyi on the American-Iranian conflict
The Ukrainian president commented on the ongoing US-Iran war, adding that he has a “very bad feeling” about the impact of the conflict on the ongoing war in Kiev. He noted that talks on achieving peace and a cease-fire are constantly being postponed. And the reason is: the war in Iran.
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How does the US-Iran war benefit Putin?
According to Zelensky, the situation in the Middle East benefits the Russian president because Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has closed the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up energy prices. Rising energy prices are a problem for Ukraine, as there could be a shortage of missiles.
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The Ukrainian president also said that a long war in Iran is an advantage for Putin because, in addition to energy prices, it would also deplete American resources and air defense manufacturers, which indirectly caused the depletion of Ukrainians’ resources.
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Lack of Patriot Missiles?
Zelenskyy also pointed out that there could soon be a shortage of Patriot missiles, which could be a huge challenge, adding that the question now is “when all the stocks in the Middle East will be used up.”
According to him, the US produces roughly 60-65 missiles per month, which would mean 700-800 missiles per year. He added that 803 missiles were used on the first day of the war in the Middle East.
Trump is not on any side in the Russian-Ukrainian war: Zelenskyi
Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Zelenskyy said the US president was not on “any side”, but noted that he did not want to “irritate” Putin. He added that Trump wants to be a negotiator in the war between Russia and Ukraine rather than taking sides.
The Ukrainian president also said he thinks the US president “wants to finish this war,” but added that his advisers have chosen a strategy of close dialogue with Putin and “not to upset him because Europe irritated him and Putin doesn’t want to talk to Europe.”
Zelenskyy is looking for support across Europe
Zelensky was welcomed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Tuesday (local time), the last stop on the Ukrainian president’s tour of European capitals. On Wednesday, Zelensky travels to Madrid. He visited Paris last week.
Speaking to MPs in the UK Parliament, Zelenskyy said the regimes in Iran and Russia are brothers in hatred; they are therefore brothers in arms. He added that the Ukrainian government does not want regimes built on hatred to never win anything.
