UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has urged against losing focus on Ukraine.
His remarks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought support at a time when the Iran war has revived Russia’s ailing economy through increased oil revenue, robbed US-brokered talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine of momentum and could soon limit Kyiv’s access to vital Western air defense systems that are needed in the Middle East.
Starmer said alongside Zelenskyy for talks at 10 Downing St., which NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was also expected to attend, “We can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support.”
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin can’t be the one who benefits from the conflict in Iran, whether that’s oil prices or the dropping of sanctions. It is really important we keep our resolve in relation to supporting Ukraine, doing everything we can to weaken the hand of Putin.”
Keir Starmer
Zelenskyy said that the talks would also assess energy security, after Russia hammered Ukraine’s power grid over the winter, and the battlefield situation.
The meeting came days after the US temporarily waived some Russian oil sanctions in a bid to ease pressure on global supplies triggered by the war in the Middle East, which was sparked by the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28.
Zelenskyy and some other European leaders criticized Washington’s move to ease sanctions, saying that it would provide a windfall for Moscow to keep up its attacks on Ukraine. Zelenskyy also met with King Charles III during his visit.
Trump has turned down Zelenskyy’s offer of help for the United States and its Persian Gulf partners in fighting Iranian drones. Ukraine has become one of the world’s leading producers of high-tech, battle-tested drone interceptors.
British officials say Russia and Iran are collaborating on drone technology and tactics in the Middle East. Drone combat experts from the UK and Ukraine have been sent to the region to help Iran’s neighbors repel its drone attacks.
Starmer’s office said the UK and Ukraine will sign a deal combining “Ukraine’s expertise and the UK’s industrial base to manufacture and supply drones and innovative capabilities.” Britain is also funding an “AI Center of Excellence” in conjunction with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
European Leaders Stress Risks Of Iran War For Ukraine
Meanwhile, the European Union’s Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas noted in Brussels that Russia stands to gain from higher energy prices and the rerouting of advanced Western air defense systems from Ukraine to the Middle East.
However, she added that Ukraine “remains Europe’s top security priority and attention for Ukraine will not be allowed to fizzle out.”
Also, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb told an audience at the Chatham House think tank in London that the Iran war is bad for Ukraine, “mainly because of the oil price which feeds the Russian war machinery.”
“The Russian economy was actually doing extremely badly a couple of weeks back. Now it’s bouncing back.
“It’s also taking some of the necessary, air defense systems away from where they should be in Ukraine.”
Alexander Stubb
US President Donald Trump says that he wants to secure a peace deal that ends Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II and has rattled the continent’s leaders, who reckon that Russia could pose a credible security threat to the European Union by the end of the decade.
However, the US-mediated talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv, which so far have yielded no significant progress on key issues, are on hold amid the Middle East conflict.
Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, Ed Arnold, opined that Ukraine is the “ultimate loser” from the war with Iran.
That, he said, is because the war is draining stocks of American air defense missiles that are crucial for Kyiv to shoot down Russian missiles and is diverting Washington’s attention from Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian teams have recently visited Gulf countries to discuss mutual interests.
François Heisbourg, Special Adviser at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris said that it is important for Ukraine to secure deals with Gulf states for advanced air defense systems in exchange for Ukrainian anti-drone expertise and technology.
READ ALSO: Pakistan Accused Of Killing 400 In Attack On Kabul Hospital
