Zelensky: Trump using up all his missiles on Iran risks leaving Ukraine short against Putin

In an exclusive interview with The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley, Volodymyr Zelensky said his country may be left more vulnerable but that the lesson of Iran is that he needs weapons to force Putin to genuine peace NewsWorldEuropeexclusiveZelensky: Trump using up all his missiles on Iran risks leaving Ukraine short against PutinIn an exclusive interview with The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley, Volodymyr Zelensky said his country may be left more vulnerable but that the lesson of Iran is that he needs weapons to force Putin to genuine peaceThursday 05 March 2026 18:13 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverTrump using his missiles on Iran leaves Ukraine short, Zelensky warnsYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreThe US war with Iran risks leaving Ukraine vulnerable to Vladimir Putin’s forces, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned, as Donald Trump turns his firepower on the Middle Eastern country. In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with The Independent, the Ukrainian president shared his concerns about the impact of the ever-growing conflict with Iran on his country’s efforts to defend against Russia. Ukraine could now face a shortage of air defence missiles to protect its cities from attacks, he said, as the US and its allies use hundreds to defend against Iran’s waves of drones and rockets. open image in galleryVolodymyr Zelensky has spoken to The Independent about the impact the Iran war could have on Ukraine (The Independent)“The focus will shift to the Middle East, to the Iranian war now and to the United States and also to Israel,” Zelensky told the World of Trouble podcast.“This is very understandable, and to the countries in the Middle East, who are now under attacks, massive attacks of drones and missiles from the Iranian side. “Our estimation, of course, is that air defense [for Ukraine] could decrease.” Zelensky, who has been a vocal supporter of the latest US-Israeli air campaigns in Iran and called for more support for a popular uprising earlier this year, said he has prepared his commanders to cope with the assumed shortfall in their own defences.Ukraine’s president was clear that he was not complaining but rather setting out the practical reality his country faces as the war against Iran continues. There are few defences against incoming ballistic missiles, which are fired in an arc that takes them into space and brings them down at up to five times the speed of sound. Russia has been using them against Ukraine for four years. But most anti-missile systems to combat ballistic missile, notably Patriot and the Terminal High Altitude Area defence (THAAD) systems are made in America and are the main defences used across the Gulf region and beyond.open image in galleryThe US-Israeli war on Iran continues to spread across the region (AFP/Getty)“They’re mostly in the United States, so they produce the air defences and of course they will control this number and they will, I think, try to hold [onto] the package of such missiles. It’s understandable,” Zelensky said.Kyiv now produces a vast amount of short-range drone interceptors and experts from the country are being rushed to the Gulf to advise on air defences against Iran’s swarms of low-tech attack missiles. But for its own defence Ukraine has been in contact with supporters around the world who buy weapons from the US to help defend his country, so far it had not heard back from them about how to meet the coming shortfall.“My team knows about it and they now already have got the message from me that they have to prepare for such challenges,” he added.open image in galleryZelensky said Ukraine must prepare for the challenges ahead (AFP/Getty)Zelensky also warned of the impact of the Iran war on oil prices, as Tehran has strangled shipping routes through the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Crude oil prices have surged by almost a fifth since Iran was attacked by Israel and the US. China buys 48 per cent of Russia’s oil, India buys 38 per cent of it, according to data published this month by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Much of this is delivered to them around international sanctions by a shadow fleet of tankers.“How Russia uses [the price boom] or not will depend on how our