Europe Asia News

Ukrainian President Zelensky said in an interview with i24NEWS and the Jerusalem Post that the first night of the war began with missile strikes and that Russia carried out various types of missile attacks from both Russia and Belarus. Zelensky said, “It was terrifying, but over time we learned how to intercept missiles and how to protect people, the energy system, and other infrastructure.”

Zelensky stated that the Iranian regime initially supplied Russia with a thousand “Shahed” drones and later helped establish two factories by granting production licenses. Ukraine contacted Iranian authorities to request a halt to the weapons support, but Iran responded that it had “only sold one batch, nothing more.” Zelensky said this was not true and that the support continues.

The Ukrainian leader noted that the United States and Gulf countries have sought Ukraine’s assistance in drone interception systems, emphasizing that these systems are not offensive. He also stated that the experience Russia has gained over four years will have impacts in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, adding that stopping Russia would mean preventing many wars.

Zelensky added that Iran has shown that countries in the Middle East are not prepared for major attacks, and that Ukraine has been able to manage these threats thanks to its defense experience.