Zelenskyy says Iran crisis diverts Washington from Ukraine war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the ongoing military confrontation with Iran has shifted the attention of the Trump administration and its negotiators away from the Russia–Ukraine war.

Zelenskyy made the remarks in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF, where he discussed evolving diplomatic priorities in Washington.

He said that US diplomatic engagement related to Iran is currently drawing focus away from Ukraine. “They are constantly in contact with Iran, they have no time for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said, referring to US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

The Ukrainian president also noted that US diplomatic contacts with Moscow appear more constructive than those with European partners, adding that efforts to involve European countries in the negotiation process on the Russia–Ukraine war remain challenging.

“It is important, but it is difficult. And I do not see signals from the US that they want this,” he said.

Zelenskyy further stated that, in his assessment, Donald Trump is “neither on his side nor on Russia’s side, but somewhere in the middle.”

By Vafa Guliyeva