Ukraine expressed concern on Saturday that the military escalation between Israel and Iran could lead to a reduction in crucial international aid to Kyiv, especially as European support for Ukraine is already faltering without strong US engagement.
The anxiety in Kyiv stems from fears that Washington might redirect military resources to bolster its close ally Israel, following Israel’s large-scale attacks on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on Friday and Iran’s subsequent retaliatory missile and drone barrages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explicitly stated, “We would like to see aid to Ukraine not decrease because of this.” Last time, this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine.”
He further warned that Europe’s commitment was wavering, noting, “Europe has not yet decided for itself what it will do with Ukraine if America is not there.”
The return of US President Donald Trump to the White House has already significantly impacted the flow of Western aid to Kyiv, prompting Europe to scramble for ways to compensate if American military, financial, and intelligence support diminishes.
Credit: Health Policy Watch
Zelensky urged the United States to “shift tone” in its dialogue with Russia, describing it as “too warm” and unhelpful in ending the war.
Trump has pursued rapprochement with Moscow, engaging in three phone calls with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this year, a stark shift from the previous US administration’s policy.
Additionally, Zelensky highlighted that the Israeli attacks on Iran had driven up oil prices, which he believes would directly benefit Russia. “This is bad for us,” he added, reiterating his call for Western nations to impose price caps on Russian oil exports.
He hopes to discuss this issue in a potential future meeting with Trump. However, the Ukrainian leader also suggested a potential silver lining: the Israeli strikes might reduce Iranian military equipment supplies to Russia, which has heavily relied on Iranian-made attack drones.
In other developments, Ukraine and Russia conducted their fourth prisoner exchange this week on Saturday, part of agreements reached in Istanbul earlier this month.
Kyiv also reported halting Russian advances in the northeastern Sumy region, managing to retake one village, and stated that 53,000 Russian soldiers were involved in the Sumy operation.
As part of the Istanbul agreements, Ukraine also received another 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia, which Moscow claimed were those of “Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel.”
Russia continues its three-year invasion, rejecting calls for a halt and demanding Ukraine cede more territory and renounce Western military support for peace.
