The US president has turned down Kiev’s offer to intercept Iranian drones in the Middle East
US President Donald Trump has rejected Vladimir Zelensky’s offer to assist with countering Iranian drones in the Middle East, stating that he is the “last person” Washington needs help from.
Ever since US-Israeli strikes on Iran were launched late last month, Zelensky has repeatedly indicated his readiness to get involved in the conflict, claiming that Washington has appealed for support to defend American assets deployed in the Gulf against Iranian retaliatory attacks. On Friday, he restated the offer on X, arguing that without Ukrainian “expertise,” the US will not be able to “stabilize the situation.”
During a telephone interview with NBC News on Saturday, the US president pushed back on the claim that Washington requested or requires Ukrainian assistance.
“We don’t need help,” Trump said, adding that Zelensky is the “last person we need help from.”
Trump also criticized Zelensky’s approach to negotiations with Moscow, arguing that “Zelensky is far more difficult to make a deal with” than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I’m surprised that Zelensky doesn’t want to make a deal. Tell Zelensky to make a deal because Putin’s willing to make a deal,” he told NBC.
Since taking office for his second term last year, Trump has pushed for a negotiated resolution between Kiev and Moscow, leading to US-mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi in January and follow-up discussions in Geneva last month.
The next round of talks was expected to take place in early March. However, with the Trump administration focused on the ongoing conflict with Iran, the meeting has reportedly been pushed back until next week at the earliest.
Zelensky then sought to involve Ukraine in the Middle East conflict, saying he had instructed officials to “provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists capable of guaranteeing the necessary security.”
The head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, Ebrahim Azizi, responded on X, saying that “by providing drone support to the Israeli regime, failed Ukraine has effectively become involved in the war,” and warning that Kiev could face retaliation, with the entire country becoming a target.