President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the USʼs appeal specifically to Ukraine for help in the Middle East shows that Kyiv "has the cards". But they were there last year too.
He said this in an interview with Irish blogger Caolan Robertson.
According to the president, this was achieved thanks to the work of the Ukrainian military and its own weapons production, which Ukraine has been increasing since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Zelensky says that during the scandalous White House meeting with Donald Trump in February 2025, he also had the cards, "but didnʼt show them". Now, "everyone can see them".
"Itʼs like being a good player: you can have good cards, but itʼs important not to show everyone that you have those cards. I think a year ago I had cards too, but I didnʼt show them. Now everyone sees it," he said.
Zelensky expressed fears that the war in the Middle East could drag on. He recalled how last year, during a meeting with Trump, he spoke about the threat of World War III, but the US president "didnʼt hear him". And now Russia is helping Iran, which is attacking American military bases in the Middle East.
Separately, the president noted that cooperation between Russia and Iran in the production of drones poses a global threat, but the world is not yet ready for World War III.
- The US asked Ukraine to help protect against Iranian "Shaheds" in the Middle East on March 5. At the same time, Zelensky said that Ukraine wanted to "quietly" trade with countries in the region: to receive missiles for Patriot in exchange for interceptor drones.
- On March 10, it became known that Ukraine had sent three fully equipped counter-drone teams to the Middle East: to Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Ukraine also sent its drone experts to protect American bases in Jordan.
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