Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the conflict in the Middle East is directly undermining prospects for peace in Ukraine, warning of missile shortages and calling on Donald Trump and Keir Starmer to meet and present a united front.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC conducted during his visit to London, Zelenskyy said peace negotiations were being "constantly postponed. There is one reason — war in Iran."
The Ukrainian president said Vladimir Putin stood to benefit from a prolonged Middle East conflict on multiple fronts: higher energy prices, depletion of US weapons stockpiles, and strain on air defence manufacturers. "For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus," Zelenskyy told the BBC.
Most concretely, he warned of a coming shortage of Patriot missiles. The United States produces 60–65 Patriot missiles per month — roughly 700–800 per year, according to Zelenskyy. "On the first day in the Middle East war, 803 missiles were used," he said, adding there would "definitely" be a deficit. "The question now is: when will all the stockpiles in the Middle East be exhausted."
On Trump's position toward the war, Zelenskyy said the US president had opted for a strategy of engagement with Putin rather than alignment with Ukraine or its European allies. Trump "wants to finish this war," Zelenskyy said, but added that Washington had chosen "not to irritate" Putin — because, as Zelenskyy put it, "Europe irritated him and Putin does not want to talk to Europe."
Zelenskyy stopped short of criticising Trump directly, saying he would not tell the US president what to do. But he urged a reset between Washington and London. "I would really like President Trump to meet with Starmer... so that they have a common position," he said.
The call came amid a public rift between Trump and Starmer. Trump branded the UK prime minister "no Winston Churchill" on Tuesday, saying he was "disappointed" — his latest in a string of criticisms since Starmer declined to send military equipment to the Middle East at the outset of US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Starmer's office held its position, reiterating the "enduring" nature of the US-UK relationship.
Zelenskyy, speaking after talks with Starmer at Downing Street, warned against division among western leaders. "The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred and that is why they are brothers in weapons," he told MPs in a packed Westminster committee room. Among those present were Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Defence Secretary John Healey, and opposition party leaders.
The London visit was part of a broader European tour. Zelenskyy had been in Paris the previous week and was due in Madrid on Wednesday. Starmer underscored the stakes: "I think it's really important that we are clear that the focus must remain on Ukraine."
