Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, expressed regret that “the war in the Middle East is distracting attention” from the situation in Ukraine, but expressed hope that Kiev’s stance on the Iranian issue would boost US aid to his country.
More specifically, the Ukrainian President, while acknowledging that the United States of America, with the financial assistance of the Europeans, has so far been Ukraine’s main arms supplier, expresses fear that due to the war crisis in the Middle East, Washington’s priorities have changed, while US production capabilities remain stable. Zelensky does not rule out the possibility of a slowdown in the delivery of weapons systems to Ukraine, saying his country should prepare properly.
Asked what assistance Ukraine is providing to the Gulf countries, Israel and the US in connection with intercepting drones used by Iran, Zelensky says:
“We have received requests from the US for their bases in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have also expressed interest. Our teams are already in some of these countries, assessing the situation and sharing their expertise, which is invaluable because – even if the Middle East has many Patriot or other systems – they are not sufficient for full operation. Experience and modern interceptors are required to withstand attacks of this intensity.”
Asked then if he expects anything in return for the transfer of Ukrainian know-how, the Ukrainian president says:
“When Washington asked for help, we did not expect anything in return because, I tell you openly, we are partners. We hope that, in response to our support, the United States will never block its aid, because they too consider us partners. As for the countries of the Middle East, allies of the United States, they have sent us a signal of cooperation. We are already discussing ways of future cooperation and delivery of some of our equipment. Of course, we also want the Middle Eastern countries to allow us to enhance our capabilities because they have certain missiles that we lack for our air force.”
In response to the question of what his relations with the US president are, Zelenski said: “President Trump and I have a professional relationship. We want this war to end. Everyone knows that he wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Everyone knows that we all want the end of the war against Ukraine. As far as the situation on the front, we would like the United States to put more pressure on Russia. I think that this pressure is insufficient, not only from the US, but also from Europe – even though Moscow, today, unfortunately, does not really take Europe into account. However, Washington could exert stronger pressure. The policy of lifting sanctions, whatever form it takes, does not contribute to this.”
Finally, asked to comment on the Russian President’s statement that the war could end if Ukrainian forces left Donbas, Zelensky said:
“We do not want our territory to be occupied again, nor do we want our capital to be blockaded for the purpose of a complete takeover of our country. This can happen if we withdraw from Donbas, because there are important lines of defence and strong fortifications built over the years. Leaving these urban areas opens the way for a rapid takeover by Russia, if it so desires. And, of course, it will. The question is “when?” If the occupation or the intention [to occupy] happens in two or three years, what will we do? That would mean betraying future generations. Today, the US is saying, “Withdraw from Donbass because that’s what the Russians want, and we will give you security guarantees.” But our fortifications are part of our guarantees. We should not exchange these security guarantees, built with our hands and our army, for other guarantees. That would be unfair. Then there is our army. The Russians have not defeated or destroyed it and now they want us to withdraw? What effect would that have on the morale of our soldiers? As the war has shown, our civilians and our fighters are our most essential security guarantees.”
