President Volodymyr Zelensky is worried America and the European Union will forget about Ukraine as focus turns to the Middle East, and that the deliveries of advanced Western missiles will dry up as they’re needed to fight Iran, he told an Italian newspaper.
The United States and allies attacking Iran “is right”, President Zelensky said, and brings certain benefits to Ukraine, but the brewing up of a war in the Middle East risks Ukraine’s defence because there is a limited supply of air defence missiles in the world, he has said. Speaking to Milan-published Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera as the conflict around Iran spreads, President Zelensky opined: “I think attacking Iranian military targets was a good decision. The Iranians produce a lot of weapons for Russia, especially drones and missiles, although I believe they will no longer be able to do so, and perhaps the Russians will arm them in turn”.
Speaking from his first-hand experience of leading a country at war, Zelensky added: “I hope the Iranian crisis remains a limited operation and doesn’t turn into a long war; we know first-hand how bloody it risks being.”
He told the Italian newspaper, it was stated, that after the U.S. Operation Midnight Hammer to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities last year saw a constriction of missile deliveries to Ukraine, that this new conflict would have the same impact. Zelensky remarked:
We could have difficulty obtaining missiles and weapons to defend our skies. The Americans and their allies in the Middle East might need them to defend themselves, for example, anti-Patriot missiles… perhaps the Americans will need them, like last year… Israel was under Iranian attack [during the 12-Day War in June 2025], and the missile delivery programs for us were slowed down. Today, it hasn’t happened yet, but I fear it could happen again.
In all, “it’s a risk” that the United States and the European Union will forget about Ukraine because they are so focussed on the Middle East.
While the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have turned global events on their head, Zelensky said it was his understanding that the next round of trilateral Ukraine War peace talks between his country, Russia, and the United States were still going ahead in March. The venue would probably have to be changed, however, given Abu Dhabi is now in the danger zone. The Ukrainian leader suggested Switzerland or Vienna as neutral cities in Europe that Russia’s Putin could agree to travel to.
Already in hot demand, with Ukraine using them faster than the United States can produce new stock, anti-air defence missiles like the advanced Patriot have become one of the world’s top commodities in the past four days as Iran reacted to the strikes by lashing out across the Middle East. A complete Patriot battery tips the scales at over $1 billion apiece, and every time it is fired the missile expended costs a further $4 million.
Read the full article here