A prolonged war in the Middle East could affect arms deliveries to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said while answering Deutsche Welle (DW) questions during a WhatsApp chat with journalists on Monday, March 2.
For now, Kyiv isn’t seeing a drop in weapons shipments from partners. “So far, we don’t see this impact. The deliveries we were counting on haven’t decreased, but only a day has passed. So it’s too early to draw conclusions,” he said.
At the same time, Zelensky acknowledged that if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, risks could grow. “In any case, if there are long hostilities in the Middle East, of course it will affect supplies (weapons). I’m sure of it,” Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine is working to secure stable funding for its own defense production even if the international situation worsens. “We will do everything to prevent a halt in financing for our domestic production so it can operate at full capacity. Today we’re working precisely on that, to ensure the 90 billion euros aren’t blocked,” he stressed, referring to European Union (EU) assistance to Ukraine.
Answering a DW question, Zelensky also said a war in Iran could carry political and reputational consequences for Russia and for President Vladimir Putin personally. “It seems to me that, as of today, Putin has already shown what kind of ally he is in Syria, when they were essentially unable to help the Assad regime. In my view, they’ve demonstrated their weakness again now — as allies, they are negligible,” Zelensky said.
He argued Russia’s limited clout in the region stems from concentrating all its military resources on the war in Ukraine. “All their forces, all their armed forces and other formations - they are all in Ukraine. They have no more forces,” he said.
Zelensky added that events in Iran should serve as a signal to the Russian leader. “What’s happening in Iran, it seems to me, is a good signal for Putin to see how dictatorship ends,” he said.
China and talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine
Zelensky also answered a DW question about whether China had offered to mediate negotiations to end the war. He said Kyiv wants Beijing involved in the process.
“It’s important for us to engage them not in the war, but in ending the war that Putin brought to Ukraine. I think that’s within their power. In any case, the Chinese leader can influence supplies of certain types of weapons, dual-use goods, and so on. Their participation would certainly be good for us. So far, we don’t see their involvement,” Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine came up in recent talks with international partners, particularly in a conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who visited China in late February. “I had a good conversation with Merz. The details of his visit to China were important to me. He raised questions about Ukraine, he spoke about it with China’s leader,” Zelensky said. He added that he instructed Ukrainian diplomats to maintain contact with the Chinese side.
