Zelenskyy Warns Iran War Threatens Ukraine Aid as Russia Gains Economic Boost

Ukraine Faces Critical Weapons Shortage

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that an extended conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran risks diverting Washington's attention away from Ukraine, potentially leaving Kyiv with a dangerous shortage of essential Patriot air defence systems. Ukraine desperately needs more US-made Patriot air defence systems to help it counter Russia's daily barrages, Zelenskyy said in an interview late on 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.

Zelenskyy had been counting on European partners to help make the Patriot purchases despite tight supply and limited US 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. Asked if he was concerned a prolonged war in Iran would hamper Ukraine's weapons supply, Zelensky said: "I am not just concerned, I am sure we will have such challenges. Absolutely."

Russia Benefits from Middle East Crisis

For Kyiv, a key objective is to weaken Moscow's economy and make the war prohibitively costly, but 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. "I am sure Russia wants long war. They have benefits: The U.S. is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine. Sanctions are partially lifted. I see only benefits for Russia from the war with Iran continuing," Zelensky told Axios over Zoom.

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, as 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. Zelensky also expressed concern about the U.S. move to issue sanctions waivers related to Russian oil sales in response to the energy crisis. "If now they get more money from energy, it doesn't help us."

Intelligence Sharing Between Russia and Iran

Zelensky said Ukraine shared evidence that Russia had provided the Iranians with satellite imagery of U.S. and European military bases and other critical infrastructure in countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the UAE, and said Russia had captured similar imagery before conducting airstrikes in Ukraine, so his assumption is that Russia is helping Iran with targeting. Zelenskyy told NBC News on Saturday that Russian forces took satellite images of a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia three times in the days before Iran attacked the site.

Zelensky said Russians also shared operational experience from their war in Ukraine with the Iranians, such as how to conduct short-range attacks using FPV drones. CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed during a mid-March Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing that Iran is seeking intelligence help from Russia, China and other U.S. rivals.

Ukraine Offers Defense Expertise to Gulf Nations

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, as Ukraine has met Russia's evolving use of Iranian-made Shahed drones with growing sophistication, technological ingenuity and low cost. 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, and in return, these countries could help Ukraine "with anti-ballistic missiles."

The Ukrainian president's warnings underscore a delicate balancing act as global crises compete for attention and resources. While offering military expertise to new partners, Ukraine faces the stark reality that prolonged conflicts elsewhere could jeopardize its own survival. The interconnected nature of these conflicts reveals how regional wars can reshape global alliances and resource allocation in unexpected ways.