Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cautioned against postponing diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine until the ongoing conflict in Iran is resolved, calling such thinking a “big risk.”
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour from his office in Kyiv on Wednesday, Zelensky said that while technical discussions with the United States continue, he does not currently see conditions for a high-level meeting until the situation involving Iran is settled.
“It is a challenge that the same team is working on both tracks,” Zelensky said, referring to US negotiators handling discussions on both the Iran conflict and the war in Ukraine.
He pointed to the involvement of US envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in both diplomatic efforts, suggesting it complicates parallel progress.
Zelensky emphasized that global focus shifting toward Iran risks sidelining Ukraine’s ongoing crisis.
“It is not an option to say we will speak about Ukraine a little bit later. Ukraine is already in such a big tragedy; we have to find a way to manage this in a parallel way,” he said.
Weapons Supply Concerns
The Ukrainian leader also warned that the war has disrupted supplies of key military equipment, particularly anti-ballistic missiles, citing limited production capacity in the United States.
EU Financial Support Critical
Zelensky’s remarks came just hours after the European Union approved a long-delayed €90 billion loan package for Ukraine, which he described as essential for the country’s survival.
The funding had been stalled for months due to objections from Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who demanded the restoration of Russian oil flows through Ukraine. Following political changes and renewed agreements, oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline resumed, allowing EU ambassadors to give preliminary approval to the loan.
Zelensky said the funding is vital for Ukraine’s defense production capabilities, noting that the country is currently unable to operate at full capacity due to financial constraints.
“For example, we can produce around 2,000 drone interceptors per day, but we are only producing about 1,000 because we don’t have the funding,” he said. “It is a question of our life and survival.”
