Zelensky: Iran ‘Chose to Become Putin’s Accomplice’ as Attacks Intensify Across the Middle East

As events in the Middle East and the Gulf region unfold “extremely rapidly,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine knows “all too well” what such escalation means, pointing to Iran’s role in supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“Although Ukrainians never threatened Iran, the Iranian regime chose to become Putin’s accomplice,” Zelensky said in a statement on Saturday.

He said Iran supplied Russia not only with Shahed drones but also with technologies to produce them, as well as other weapons.

According to Zelensky, Russia has used more than 57,000 Shahed-type attack drones during the full-scale war, targeting Ukrainian civilians, cities and energy infrastructure.

“Other nations have also suffered from Iranian-backed terror,” he said, adding that it is “fair to give the Iranian people a chance to rid themselves of a terrorist regime and to guarantee security for all nations that have suffered from terror originating in Iran.”

Zelensky said Ukraine’s position remains unchanged and has been stated repeatedly. “It is important to preserve as many lives as possible. It is important to prevent the war from expanding,” he said.

He also welcomed decisive action by the US, saying that “whenever there is American resolve, global criminals weaken,” and added that “this understanding must also come to the Russians.”

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Russian Lawmaker Warns Of ‘Social Explosion’ Amid War Losses, Demands ‘Public Plan’ To End War

Russian Communist Party MP Vyacheslav Markhaev warned in a Telegram post that Russia is “on the brink of a social explosion,” citing corruption, economic strain and war losses in Ukraine. He criticized rising utility costs, inequality, and lack of a war-end plan, while claiming worsening domestic instability and governance failures.

“People cannot know the day or the hour, yet every act of evil, terror, and aggression against neighbors ultimately meets a just response,” Zelensky said.

He said Ukraine expects the Middle East to become “safer and more stable” over time, adding that “much has already changed toward that goal.”

“Ukraine is ready to help every nation so that security and justice increase, and terrorist regimes decrease,” Zelensky said.

His comments came amid a sharp escalation in the region after Israel launched what it described as a pre-emptive strike on Iran on Feb. 28. Iran later reported attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, where American bases are located, according to media reports.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said an immediate nationwide state of emergency had been declared, describing the strike on Iran as necessary to neutralise security threats.

Following early morning strikes by Israel on Iran, US President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 28 that that US had begun “major combat operations” in Iran.