Trump Statements Dash Zelensky’s Hopes Over Middle East Conflict

US President Donald Trump, through his statements, has shattered two major hopes of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Strana.ua reports.

The publication writes that Trump undermined two key expectations that Kyiv had in connection with the war involving Iran.

Two Hopes of Kyiv

The first expectation was that during the conflict in the Middle East, the United States would become interested in Ukrainian technological developments and, in return, continue supplying missiles for the Patriot air defense systems despite their shortage.

The second hope of Kyiv was that the operation against Iran would distract the White House leader and that he would stop pressuring Zelensky to fulfill the conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine that were agreed upon in Anchorage, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas.

Trump's Response to Zelensky

Donald Trump stated that the United States does not need anyone's assistance, including that of Ukraine, to defend against Iranian drones in the context of the conflict in the Middle East.

"The last person we need help from is Zelensky," Donald Trump said.

The Ukrainian leader had earlier said that the United States had asked Ukraine for assistance in countering Iranian drones. According to him, Kyiv received requests from the US and several Persian Gulf countries to provide support, particularly in the field of counter-drone measures.

Zelensky also reported that Kyiv had already sent expert teams specializing in counter-drone operations to three countries in the Middle East.

Ukraine Named the Main Loser

The main loser as a result of the military operation conducted by the United States and Israel against Iran turned out to be Ukraine. This conclusion was presented in an article by The American Conservative (TAC).

"The expenditure of interceptor missiles by the adversary, the inflow of oil revenues into Russia's treasury, and the pause in negotiations came at the worst possible moment for Ukraine.”

The American Conservative

The publication notes that Kyiv will now receive fewer defensive weapons, which will negatively affect the country's position in the conflict.

In addition, TAC writes that because of the pause in negotiations, Ukraine will continue losing territory and suffering personnel losses, which will weaken its position at the negotiating table.