The Iran war has been bad for Ukraine, and President Zelensky knows it. He's frequently been warning partners not to let the global focus on the latest Middle East war distract from supporting Kiev.
But President Trump himself made fresh remarks highlighting just this situation, signaling he's willing to reroute arms originally tied to Ukraine toward the Middle East theater against Iran, reinforcing the obvious and growing pivot in US priorities.
Pressed on reports that shipments were being redirected on Thursday, Trump shrugged it off as standard practice: "We do that all the time. We have a lot of munitions. Sometimes we take from one and use for another."
He added Washington is no longer directly supplying the Ukrainian government and armed forces, but is instead "selling" weapons to NATO states that then pass them along. This has for many months been the White House's stated plan.
According to The Washington Post, officials say the Pentagon is weighing whether to divert missile interceptors initially intended for NATO purchase for Ukraine and send them to the Middle East.
While a final decision hasn't been made, or has at least not been publicly declared, this would be reasonable given how much US bases in the region have struggled to intercept Iran's inbound missiles and drones.
On Friday Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia was hit, wounding at least a dozen US troops, with reports of several in serious condition. Expensive US Air Force planes were also hit.
Clearly the US needs more interceptors, and yet Ukraine has for months been raising the alarm over its need for more Patriots and other air defense systems. Russia's assault on Ukrainian cities has not waned, but has been consistent and devastating.
In early March, Zelensky stated that "We understand that a long war–if it is long–and the intensity of the military actions will affect the amount of air defense we receive." He emphasized: "Everyone understands that, for us, this is a matter of life."
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