by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Concerns grew Thursday that the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran could affect the war in Ukraine, amid fears Washington may soon lack sufficient munitions to continue supporting Kyiv, including through its European allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struggled Thursday to leverage his nation’s war savvy to keep it on the world’s agenda as the Iran conflict increasingly absorbs the attention of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, putting the U.S.-brokered peace talks with Russia on indefinite hold.
On Thursday, he offered to share his country’s expertise in protecting against explosives-laden Iranian drones, which are swarming the defenses of the United States and its Middle East allies.
“Our appeal is very simple: we would like to fill our deficit of Patriot missiles and supply a certain number of interceptors,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.
Earlier, he had suggested that Arab states could help persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire, giving Kyiv free hands to dispatch anti-drone specialists to the Middle East. He said he had fielded numerous calls from Persian Gulf leaders in recent days, as well as requests from Washington for sharing expertise.
DRONES AND DEFENSE
The waves of drone attacks attributed to the Islamic Republic are putting a growing strain on the defenses of the United States and its partners in the region.
U.S.-made Patriot air-defense missiles are effective in stopping Iranian drones as well as the larger missiles they are meant to intercept, but they are far more expensive than other methods and remain in limited supply.
For the past four years, Ukraine has faced daily strikes involving dozens — and sometimes hundreds — of explosive-laden Shahed-type drones, which are now also produced in Russia.
“This is the same type of weapon now being used in attacks in the Middle East,” said Kaja Kallas, in Brussels on Thursday ahead of a meeting between EU foreign ministers and their counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Ukraine can help the Gulf countries because they have developed drone interceptors and drone protection,” Kallas said. “So we can see also how we can put these things together to help the countries fight back against the drone attacks.”
FEARS OVER MILITARY RESOURCES
A broader concern for Ukraine is that a prolonged Middle East war could absorb U.S. military resources, making it harder for Kyiv to secure crucial military lifelines.
Some of the defense capabilities needed in Ukraine are already being moved to the Middle East, with disruptions to supply chains and rising oil prices adding further complications, Kallas warned.
Behind closed doors, officials within the European Union say the 27-member bloc is concerned about the potential knock-on effects of the Iran conflict on Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Munitions used in the Middle East could diminish U.S. stockpiles and potentially hamper future American military deliveries to Kyiv, according to a senior EU official and people familiar with the matter.
However, strikes on Iranian weapons depots could also disrupt arms deliveries from Tehran to Moscow, potentially affecting Russia’s battlefield capabilities.
EUROPE URGED TO BOOST PRODUCTION
The escalating tensions have added urgency to Europe’s efforts to strengthen its own air- and missile-defense systems, according to EU officials.
While U.S.-backed forces in the Middle East have been firing advanced Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles against Iranian drones, Ukraine has largely reserved such expensive interceptors for high-speed Russian ballistic missiles.
For slower unmanned aircraft, Ukrainian forces have relied on a mix of electronic jamming, heavy machine guns, helicopter cannons, and increasingly interceptor drones.
Kallas said Europe must speed up the production of drones, including interceptor drones, and deepen cooperation with Ukraine, which has rapidly expanded its drone manufacturing during the war.
“So, of course, we are looking into this,” she said. “But I’m worried that the capabilities are limited, and that will have an impact also on different forces.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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