Ukraine war talks on hold as US, Gulf nations seek help on drones

KYIV, March 6 ------ A new round of United States-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv planned for this week has been postponed because of escalating war in the Middle East, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

This comes as the United States and its allies in the Middle East seek Kyiv’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, of which Zelensky said, Russia has fired tens of thousands at Ukraine since Moscow’s invasion began in February 2022. Tehran has responded with the same type of drones to joint US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.

The Iran war, now on its sixth day, has drawn international attention away from Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. Western governments and analysts say the Russia-Ukraine war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, while there is no sign that yearlong US-led peace efforts will stop the fighting anytime soon. “Right now, because of the situation around Iran, there are not yet the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting,” Zelensky said on Wednesday night. “But as soon as the security situation and the overall political context allow us to resume that trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done.”

Various countries, including the US, have approached Ukraine for help in defending against Iranian drones, the president said, adding that he had spoken in recent days with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait about possible cooperation. Ukrainian assistance, he said, will be provided only if it does not weaken Ukraine’s own defenses and if it adds leverage to Kyiv’s diplomatic efforts to stop Russia’s invasion. “We help to defend from war those who help us, Ukraine, bring a just end to the war” with Russia, Zelensky said.

Source: manilatimes.net