Ukraine repeatedly sought to engage Iran to stop the supply of drones to Russia, but Tehran continued and expanded its military cooperation with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, March 18.
Speaking at a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Zelensky said Kyiv had attempted to establish contact with Iran since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We gave instructions to constantly reach out to Iran to stop supplying weapons to Russia from the very beginning of the full-scale war,” Zelensky said.
Iran expanded support to Russia
Zelensky said Iran not only supplied Shahed drones but also trained Russian forces to carry out attacks.
“They trained them to use these drones from their own territory against our people,” he said.
According to Zelensky, Iran later transferred additional weapons, including artillery and missiles, and eventually helped Russia localize drone production.
“They said supplies would stop, but instead they went further — they gave Russia licenses and helped build two major factories for producing these drones,” he said.
Drone attacks, impact on Ukraine
Zelensky said Russia is now launching between 350 and 500 drones in a single night during large-scale attacks.
“The destruction is massive… people were left without electricity, water and heating,” Zelensky said.
He added that Iran’s drones and missiles played a key role in strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including attacks that led to nationwide blackouts.
‘Different approach’
Zelensky contrasted Iran’s role in supporting Russia’s military operations with Ukraine’s efforts to help other countries counter drone threats.
“They taught Russians how to kill us with long-range drones,” Zelensky said. “We, on the other hand, shared our experience with countries in the Middle East on how to defend against such attacks.”
“Our attitude toward such a regime cannot be positive.”
On Wednesday, Zelensky, speaking before members of the UK parliament in London, said that 201 Ukrainian military specialists have been deployed to the Middle East and Gulf region to help partner countries defend against Iranian-made Shahed drones. Zelensky added that Ukraine is also cooperating with several other countries, noting that relevant agreements have already been signed.
This is despite US President Donald Trump’s insistence last week that Washington does not need or want Kyiv’s assistance with drone defense, telling Fox News on Friday:
“No, they are not helping. We do not need their help. We know more about drones than anyone else. We have the best drones, actually.”
He doubled down on the remarks on Sunday, saying:
“The last person we need help from is Zelensky.”