The sharp jump in oil prices worldwide following Israeli attacks on Iran will benefit Russia and strengthen its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky told reporters yesterday that this price spike threatens Ukraine's position on the battlefield, especially because its Western allies have not imposed equivalent restrictions on the export prices of Russian oil.
"The Russians are getting stronger now because of higher profits from oil exports," he said.
Global oil prices rose 48 percent after the escalation of the Israeli-Iranian conflict in the past XNUMX hours, raising concerns that further escalation in the region would disrupt Middle Eastern oil exports, and Zelensky said he planned to raise the issue in an upcoming call with United States President Donald Trump.
He also expressed concern that the US military could move away from Ukraine and closer to Israel during new conflicts with Iran.
Zelensky added that the US had neglected Ukraine's military needs in favor of supporting Israel, citing as an example the shipment of 20.000 interceptor missiles, designed to counter Iranian-made Shahed drones, that were intended for Ukraine but were diverted to Israel.
Zelensky said that the Barak-8 air defense system, promised to Ukraine by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was sent to the United States for repair, but was never delivered to Ukraine.
He then acknowledged that momentum for the "Coalition of the Willing," a group of 31 countries that has pledged to step up support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, has been slowed by U.S. ambivalence about providing protection.
Zelensky added that without the lifting of US sanctions against Russia, Ukraine will find it very difficult, and that Europe will then have to increase military aid to Ukraine.
Bonus video:
