Zelenskyy: Middle East War Hurts Ukraine's Defense

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the conflict in the Middle East is harming Ukraine's war effort. He said global attention is shifting away from Ukraine at a critical time. Speaking in Paris on Friday, Zelenskyy stated there is an urgent need for more anti-aircraft missiles. These same weapons are now in high demand in the Gulf region to counter Iranian missiles and drones. In a separate meeting, Zelenskyy told Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, that Iran must stop cooperating with Russia. He said Ukraine supports a "free Iran" that does not destabilize the world. Zelenskyy also reported that the United States asked to postpone new talks on the Ukraine war. U.S. negotiators were not permitted to travel due to the Middle East crisis, he said. Meanwhile, the U.S. is easing some sanctions on Russian oil for 30 days. The move aims to calm global markets worried about supply shortages from the Middle East war. This helps Russia profit from its energy exports, which fund its invasion. On the ground, Russian shelling killed one person and wounded six in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region. Four more were injured near Zaporizhzhia. One Russian civilian was reported killed in a Ukrainian strike on a border village. In a related development, Russia labeled Nina Khrushcheva, a U.S.-based professor and great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, a "foreign agent." This term is used for those Moscow views as working against Russian interests.