A long war in Iran is a plus for Putin, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine will face a shortage of missiles it is using to fight Russia due to the war in the Middle East.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a "long war" between the US, Israel and Iran because it would weaken Kiev, as American resources would be directed elsewhere.

Zelensky also claims that US President Donald Trump is "on neither side" in the war between Russia and Ukraine and that he does not want to "irritate" Putin.

He has called on Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet and find common ground, following the US president's repeated criticism of the British prime minister.

Zelensky added that he has a "bad feeling" about the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the war in Ukraine, saying that peace negotiations are "constantly being postponed." 

Now in its third week, the conflict in the Middle East has spread across the Gulf, as Iran strikes neighboring states in response to US and Israeli attacks.

He has also said that the situation is serving Putin because it increases energy prices, which is a problem for Ukraine, and means there could be a "shortage" of missiles.

"For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus," he said. "In addition to energy prices, this means depletion of American reserves and depletion of air defense manufacturers. So we have a depletion of resources."

Zelensky expressed confidence that there will be a shortage of Patriot missiles, which he said would be a "challenge," adding that the question now is "when will all the reserves in the Middle East be exhausted."

"America produces 60-65 missiles a month. Imagine, 65 missiles a month is about 700-800 missiles a year," he said. "And on the first day of the war in the Middle East, 803 missiles were used."