The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated that Ukraine is ready to provide support to Middle Eastern countries in countering Iranian ‘Shahed’ drones, provided there is a temporary cessation of hostilities on the front with Russia. He shared this in a telephone interview with an international publication.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Conditions for Assistance and the Role of Middle Eastern Leaders
Zelensky emphasized that Middle Eastern countries have influence over the Russian leadership and urged them to initiate a month-long ceasefire. According to him, an agreement to halt fire even for two weeks or two months would allow Ukraine to send its best drone interceptor operators to the region. This would help protect the civilian population of Middle Eastern countries from attacks by Iranian drones.
“I would suggest the following: Middle Eastern leaders have excellent relations with the Russians. They can ask the Russians to implement a month-long ceasefire”
So far, there has been no official response from Middle Eastern countries regarding this initiative.
Escalation of the Conflict and the Involvement of International Players
At the end of February, a large-scale operation was conducted in the region jointly by the United States and Israel. During the first wave of strikes, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was eliminated, along with several other high-ranking officials of the Iranian regime.
In response to these actions, Iranian military forces carried out massive missile and drone attacks not only on Israel and American military facilities but also on neighboring countries considered allies of the United States. Both military and civilian targets were hit: residential buildings, hotels, and airports. Furthermore, the attacks also affected military units from European countries present in the Middle East.