Ukraine, allies seek support against Russia as Iran war shifts focus
Global News
Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's allies not to forget about his country, and suggested the U.S. and others should make use of Ukraine's anti-drone technology during the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia and Iran “brothers in hatred” on Tuesday as he sought support from U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a time when the Iran war has robbed momentum from U.S.-brokered talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s allies not to forget about his country, and suggested the U.S. and others should make use of Ukraine’s anti-drone technology during a Middle East war that has also revived Russia’s ailing economy through increased oil revenue and could soon limit Kyiv’s access to vital Western air defense systems, which are needed in the Middle East.
“The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred and that is why they are brothers in weapons,” Zelenskyy told lawmakers in Britain’s Parliament. “And we want regimes built on hatred to never, never win in anything.”
Holding talks with Zelenskyy at 10 Downing Street, Starmer said “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin can’t be the one who benefits from the conflict in Iran, whether that’s oil prices or the dropping of sanctions.”
The meeting came days after the U.S. temporarily waived some Russian oil sanctions in a bid to ease pressure on global supplies triggered by the war in the Middle East, which was sparked by the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting Feb. 28.
Zelenskyy and some other European leaders criticized Washington’s move to ease sanctions, saying it would provide a windfall for Moscow to keep up its attacks on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace before addressing dozens of members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords in Parliament. He told them that other countries could learn from Ukraine’s agile adoption of technology, including drones and AI, for defense.
“The fact we got through this winter, which Russia tried to make deadly for all our families, shows that our solutions work,” Zelenskyy said.
Iran's foreign minister said the U.S. attacked Kharg and Abu Musa islands from locations in the United Arab Emirates, a claim the UAE rejected.
Citing "a more contested environment", British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin said the exercises would begin in September.
Only one in four (23 per cent) Canadians approve while, 16 per cent are unsure either way. Forty-two per cent were found to strongly disapprove.
Countries around the world are grappling with skyrocketing costs for key commodities like oil and fertilizer as the war with Iran continues to upend global trade.
The U.S. Central Command said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and that the other plane landed safely.
Water treatment centres in the Persian Gulf region are under threat amid the Iran war, with desalination plants in areas like Bahrain taking damage from strikes.
John Gradek said that the price of jet fuel is up about 30 per cent and the cost of fuel represents about 30 per cent of an airline's operating costs.
Iran's unrelenting attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf pushed oil back above $100 a barrel on Thursday.
Concerns were raised in a document sent to British Prime Minster Keir Starmer in December 2024 when he was considering appointing Peter Mandelson.
Canada and a group of dozens of other countries have agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves as the Iran war threatens the global supply.
Iran's military command said on Wednesday the world should be prepared for oil to hit US$200 a barrel, as three more ships came under attack in the blockaded Gulf.
Iran launched new attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab countries, while Israel carried out airstrikes on Iran and Lebanon, where it is battling Hezbollah militants.
The department said it is also seeing fewer Canadians take government-assisted travel options as flights gradually resume in certain parts of the region.