Zelenskyy: Mideast War Takes Support   04/06 06:01

   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.

   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.

   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.