Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that the series of strikes between Israel and Iran would not lead to a reduction in Western aid to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

“We would like aid to Ukraine not to be reduced for this reason. Last time, it was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine,” Zelensky said at a press conference held on Friday but broadcast on Saturday.

He stressed that “an escalation of the situation in the Middle East will lead to increased aid to Israel,” potentially at Ukraine’s expense.

Zelensky also noted that European aid to Ukraine had “slowed,” partly due to disengagement initiated by Donald Trump, who says he wants to find a resolution to the conflict as quickly as possible.

“The coalition of volunteers is slowing down (...) This situation has shown that Europe has not yet decided for itself whether it will fully support Ukraine without the United States,” he said.
“When they (the Europeans) energetically joined the coalition of volunteers, they saw that this energy didn’t exist in the United States,” he continued, acknowledging that “doubts are beginning to emerge” among Ukraine’s European allies.

In a message on X (formerly Twitter) posted Saturday, the Ukrainian leader also called on the United States to “change its tone” with Russia, as Donald Trump re-established contacts with Moscow following his return to the White House.

“At the moment, the tone of dialogue between the United States and Russia seems too conciliatory. Let’s be honest: that won’t stop Putin. What’s needed is a change in tone,” Zelensky urged, instead calling for strengthened sanctions against Moscow.

The Ukrainian president also stated that the Russian offensive in the Sumy region (north) had been halted, even as Russia claimed the capture of a new locality there the previous day.

According to Zelensky, a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region forced Russian forces to split their contingent attacking the Sumy region in two, “preventing them from advancing further” toward the regional capital of the same name.

Russian forces are currently about 20 kilometers from the city of Sumy. On Saturday, they also claimed the capture of the village of Zeleny Kout in the Donetsk region (east).

Zelensky also denied that Moscow’s forces had entered the Dnipropetrovsk region (central-eastern Ukraine), which they had announced they were attacking in early June.

Finally, he announced that Ukraine is “working on the possibility of mass-producing ballistic missiles,” without giving further details.