A long Mideast war could take away from support for Ukraine, Zelenskyy
tells the AP
[April 06, 2026]
By SERRA YEDIKARDES and SAMYA KULLAB
ISTANBUL (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed
concern that a prolonged U.S.-Israeli war on Iran could further erode
America’s support for Ukraine as Washington’s global priorities shift
and Kyiv braces for reduced deliveries of critically needed Patriot air
defense missiles.
Ukraine desperately needs more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to
help it counter Russia’s daily barrages, Zelenskyy said, speaking to The
Associated Press in an exclusive interview late Saturday in Istanbul.
Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line
following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago
has killed thousands of civilians. It has also targeted Ukraine's energy
supply to disrupt industrial production of Ukraine’s newly developed
drones and missiles, while also denying civilians heat and running water
in winter.
“We have to recognize that we are not the priority for today,” Zelenskyy
said. “That’s why I am afraid a long (Iran) war will give us less
support.”
A loss of focus on Ukraine
The latest U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv ended
in February with no sign of a breakthrough. Zelenskyy, who has accused
Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations” while it presses on with its
invasion, said Ukraine remains in contact with U.S. negotiators about a
potential deal to end the war and has continued to press for stronger
security guarantees.
But, he said, even those discussions reflect a broader loss of focus
from Ukraine.
His most immediate concern, Zelenskyy said, are the Patriots — essential
for intercepting Russian ballistic missiles — as Ukraine still lacks an
effective alternative.
These U.S. systems were never delivered in sufficient quantities to
begin with, Zelenskyy said, and if the Iran war doesn't end soon, "the
package — which is not very big for us — I think will be smaller and
smaller day by day.”
“That’s why, of course, we are afraid," he said.
Interlinked wars
Zelenskyy had been counting on European partners to help make the
Patriot purchases despite tight supply and limited U.S. production
capacity.
But the Iran war, now in its sixth week, has sent shock waves through
the global economy and pulled in much of the wider Middle East region,
further straining these already limited resources, diverting stockpiles
and leaving Ukrainian cities more exposed to ballistic strikes.
For Kyiv, a key objective is to weaken Moscow’s economy and make the war
prohibitively costly. Surging oil prices driven by Iran's closure of the
Strait of Hormuz are undermining that strategy by boosting the Kremlin’s
oil revenues and strengthening Moscow’s capacity to sustain its war
effort.
In his interview with the AP, Zelenskyy said Russia draws economic
benefits from the Mideast war, citing the limited easing of American
sanctions on Russian oil.
“Russia gets additional money because of this, so yes, they have
benefits," he said.
Russian officials said Sunday a fire broke out at a major oil refinery
in the Nizhny Novgorod region after a drone attack, while another drone
damaged a pipeline at the Russian Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, home to a
major oil export terminal. No casualties were reported.
Russia could reap a windfall from a surge in oil prices and the U.S.
temporary waiver on Russian oil sanctions designed to ease supply
shortages as the Iran war continues. Russia is one of the world’s main
oil exporters, and Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian
crude oil as an energy crisis mounts.
In response, Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone attacks on
Russian oil facilities, which have rattled Moscow.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, speaks during an
interview with The Associated Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday,
April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A renewed diplomatic push
To keep Ukraine on the international agenda, Zelenskyy has offered
to share Ukraine's hard-earned battlefield expertise with the United
States and allies to develop effective countermeasures against
Iranian attacks.
Ukraine has met Russia’s evolving use of Iranian-made Shahed drones
with growing sophistication, technological ingenuity and low cost.
Moscow significantly modified the original Shahed-136, rebranded as
the Geran-2, enhancing its ability to evade air defenses and be mass
produced. Ukraine responded with quick innovation of its own,
including low-cost interceptor drones designed to track and destroy
incoming drones.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to share with Gulf Arab countries
targeted by Iran its experience and technology, including
interceptor drones and sea drones, which Ukraine produces — more
than are used up — with funding from Americans and its European
partners.
In return, these countries could help Ukraine "with anti-ballistic
missiles,” Zelenskyy said.
In late March, as the Iran war escalated, Zelenskyy visited Gulf
Arab states to promote Ukraine’s singular experience in countering
Iranian-made Shahed drones, leading to new defense cooperation
agreements.
Zelenskyy has also positioned Ukraine as a potential partner in
safeguarding global trade routes, offering assistance in reopening
the Strait of Hormuz by sharing Ukraine’s experiences securing
maritime corridors in the Black Sea.
Zelenskyy was in Istanbul for talks with President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, a day after the Turkish leader spoke with Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy said they discussed peace talks and a possible meeting of
leaders in Istanbul. He also said there could be new defense deals
signed between the two countries soon.
Following the talks in Istanbul, Zelenskyy and Turkish Foreign
Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Syria on an official visit Sunday,
Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
Writing on X, Zelenskyy said he discussed the wars in the Middle
East and Ukraine with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and that
there is “strong interest in exchanging military and security
experience” between Ukraine and Syria.
Russia steps up its spring offensive
Each year as the weather improves, Russia moves its grinding war of
attrition up a notch. However, it has been unable to capture
Ukrainian cities and has made only incremental gains across rural
areas. Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine, including the Crimean
Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014.
On the roughly 1,250-kilometer (750-mile) front line stretching
across eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, short-handed Ukrainian
defenders are getting ready for a new offensive by Russia’s larger
army.
The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Gen. Oleksandr
Syrskyi, said Russian troops have in recent days made simultaneous
attempts to break through defense lines in several strategic areas.
One thing Zelenskyy says he has insisted on and will continue to do
so — a territorial compromise and giving up land will not be on
Ukraine's agenda.
In Ukraine, meanwhile, drone attacks overnight into Sunday killed at
least one person and seriously wounded another in the city of
Nikopol, authorities said. Three people were wounded in the
Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a separate drone attack.
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