Zelensky says US doesn't "have time for Ukraine" because of Trump's war on Iran

Berlin, Germany - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that US peace negotiators "have no time for Ukraine" because of the war in Iran, in an interview on German television on Tuesday.

Volodymyr Zelensky lamented that the US does not have "time for Ukraine" amid the war in Iran.
Volodymyr Zelensky lamented that the US does not have "time for Ukraine" amid the war in Iran.  © TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP

Zelensky told public broadcaster ZDF that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have helped broker talks with Moscow on ending Russia's war on Ukraine, were "constantly in talks with Iran" at the moment.

Describing the pair as "pragmatic", Zelensky said they were trying to "get more attention from Putin in order to end the war".

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But "if the United States does not put pressure on Putin [...] and only engages in a gentle dialogue with the Russians, then they will no longer be afraid", he said.

US-led talks to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled since the Iran war erupted in late March, and Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have not met since February in Geneva.

Zelensky said that the issue of deliveries of US arms to Ukraine has become "a big problem".

"If the war goes on, there will be less arms for Ukraine. It's critical, especially in materials for air defenses," he said.

Zelensky on Tuesday led a government delegation to Berlin, where they met Chancellor Friedrich Merz and key ministers to discuss Ukraine's war against Russia, now in its fifth year.

The two countries announced a strategic partnership centred on defense.

Cover photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP

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