President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the war in the Middle East could affect the supply of air defense systems and missiles to Ukraine. He said this in an interview with Rai Italia.
According to Zelenskyy, there are signals from the United States about the possible continuation of the military operation in the Middle East. In this connection, the United States may need additional air defense systems for its own protection and for the defense of its allies, and will also carefully assess the availability of PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot systems.
The president said this raises concerns because in the event of a prolonged war the United States could reduce deliveries of missiles for Ukraine’s air defense.
Zelenskyy also stated that the Iranian regime had previously supplied Russia with weapons that were used against Ukraine. According to him, Iran is now unlikely to be able to transfer new weapons, but Russia is already producing missiles and drones under Iranian licenses.
At the same time, the president expressed confidence that Moscow may be supplying Iran with weapons, including air defense systems and electronic components for Shahed drones.
Zelenskyy said that Middle Eastern countries are asking Ukraine for expertise in countering Iranian drones. According to him, Ukraine is ready to share its experience and technologies, including interceptor drones, if this does not weaken Ukraine’s own defense capabilities.
The president also noted that Russia is not demonstrating itself as a strong ally of Iran, as its resources are concentrated on the war against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy added that a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, which had been planned for March 5–9, may be postponed or moved to another location due to the events in the Middle East. At the same time, he expressed hope that a prisoner exchange previously discussed by the sides could take place in the coming days.
Speaking about possible negotiations with Russia, Zelenskyy said Ukraine cannot trust Moscow’s promises. He stressed that Russia’s demands for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Donbas would not guarantee the end of the war and could instead give the Russian army time to prepare new offensives.