Without the president’s pressure, Russia is unlikely to come to the negotiating table to strike a peace deal with Ukraine; without American-made weapons, Ukraine will be in danger of defeat on the battlefield anyway.
A European diplomat from another country said they hoped more EU leaders would follow Spain’s example. “If we want international law, rule-based order and any form of multilateralism to prevail, we must be able to express worry about the American actions,” the diplomat said. “What will our leverage be for Putin’s war in Ukraine if Europe cannot express any objections over the U.S. war on Iran? We would lose credibility.”
But the U.S. is even seeking help from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Trump called a “dictator” with no “cards” to play a year ago. Ukraine has become a world leader in anti-drone defenses, destroying many thousands of the Iran-designed “Shaheds” that Russia has fired at its cities. Iran is now launching these same drones at U.S. and Gulf targets in retaliation for the American and Israeli attacks.
“Partners are turning to us, to Ukraine, for help,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday. “Requests on this matter have also come from the American side.”
He made clear Ukraine would only help if doing so didn’t weaken its own defenses — and on the condition “that it serves as an investment in our diplomatic capabilities,” including in efforts to end the war. “We help protect against war those who help us — Ukraine — bring the war to a dignified conclusion.”
In the U.S., some saw the risks coming. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly warned Trump that going to war with Iran would be more dangerous without the support of key allies, according to the Washington Post.