Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with Donald Trump and Keir Starmer to ‘reload’ their relationship amid the ongoing transatlantic spat.
The Ukrainian leader urged the US President and Prime Minister to meet up and reach a ‘common position’ in the wake of their public dispute.
Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked Sir Keir following the PM’s refusal to offer greater assistance to the US and Israeli assault on Iran.
He has branded Sir Keir ‘no Winston Churchill’ and accused him of making a ‘big mistake’ in failing to be ‘supportive’ of America’s military action.
Mr Zelensky pleaded with Mr Trump and the PM to mend their relationship as he voiced fears about the impact of the Iran crisis on his country’s fight against Russia.
He warned Ukraine will face a deficit of missiles it is using to fight off Vladimir Putin’s invasion because of the Middle East conflict.
The Ukrainian President suggested that Russia wanted a ‘long war’ between the US, Israel and Iran as the diversion of American resources would weaken Kyiv.
He also claimed Mr Trump was not on ‘any side’ in the Ukraine-Russia war, saying that the US President does not want to ‘irritate’ Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in Downing Street on Tuesday
Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Sir Keir following the PM’s refusal to offer greater assistance to the US and Israeli assault on Iran.
Mr Zelensky told the BBC he had a ‘very bad feeling’ about the impact of the Iran crisis on Ukraine’s war effort.
‘For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus,’ he said. ‘In addition to energy prices, it means the depletion of US reserves, and the depletion of air defence manufacturers.
‘So we [Ukraine] have a depletion of resources.’
The Ukrainian President added there would ‘definitely’ be a deficit of Patriot missiles, which the US supplies to Kyiv.
‘America produces 60-65 missiles per month. Imagine, 65 missiles per month is is about 700-800 missiles per year, produced each year,’ he said.
‘And on the first day in the Middle East war, 803 missiles were used.’
The Ukrainian President said peace negotiations between his country, the US and Russia were being ‘constantly postponed’ because of the Iran crisis.
Mr Trump once promised to end the Ukraine war within the first 24 hours of entering the White House for his second term.
Mr Zelensky said the US President had chosen ‘not to irritate’ Putin ‘because Europe irritated him and Putin does not want to talk to Europe’.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump launched yet another broadside on Sir Keir as he said he was ‘disappointed’ with the PM’s position on Iran.
Sir Keir initially refused to allow the US to use British air bases to launch action against Iran.
He has since resisted Mr Trump’s plea for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively shut with missile and drone strikes.
Around a fifth of global oil supplies typically pass through the vital sea channel, with energy prices having now rocketed across the world.
But Mr Zelensky suggested Mr Trump and Sir Keir could overcome their differences, as he urged them to meet to ‘reload the relationship’.
‘I would really like President Trump to meet with Starmer… so that they have a common position,’ he said.
The Ukrainian President met with Sir Keir in Downing Street on Tuesday, before making a speech to MPs and peers in Parliament.
During their talks in No10, also attended by NATO boss Mark Rutte, the PM told Mr Zelensky that Putin cannot be allowed to benefit from the Iran war.
Mr Trump has temporarily loosened some restrictions on Russian oil in a bid to ease pressure on global supplies triggered by his strikes on Iran.
Sir Keir said: ‘I think it’s really important that we are clear that the focus must remain on Ukraine.
‘There’s obviously a conflict in Iran going on, in the Middle East, but we can’t lose focus on what’s going on in Ukraine and the need for our support.’
He added: ‘Putin can’t be the one who benefits from a conflict in Iran, whether that’s oil prices or the dropping of sanctions.’
