Zelenskyy meets Macron as Iran war overshadows Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday, as he scrambles to restart the conversation on ending the war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy's visit to the French capital comes as the US-Israeli war with Iran absorbs military and diplomatic resources away from Russia's war in Ukraine, which entered its fourth year last month. 

"The ⁠key ​message of this visit, and its primary ​purpose, is to show that nothing – no crisis, no development – will divert our attention from ​Ukraine, which remains for ‌us a major security issue," a French presidency official told reporters ahead of the visit. "Our support for Ukraine will not ​waver."

Talks between Zelenskyy and Macron are due to center on increasing pressure on Moscow by targeting its so-called "shadow fleet" of aging tankers used to transport oil in breach of sanctions, the French presidency said.

How has the Iran war affected Ukraine?

The Iran war, which is nearing its second week, has stalled efforts toward ending the war in Ukraine.

Some of the scheduled peace talks were due to take place in Abu Dhabi, which has emerged as among the prime targets of Iranian strikes since the start of the war.

The constant strikes on the oil-rich Gulf countries and Tehran's blocking of the critical Strait of Hormuz, among the busiest worldwide for oil transfer, have exponentially increased oil prices worldwide, with the price of Brent crude oil hovering around $100 (€87).

In an effort to ease the impact of the surge in oil prices, the Trump administration announced on Thursday said it would allow a 30-day window for the sale of sanctioned Russian oil currently at sea. 

Easing the sanctions on Moscow has invited sharp criticism from Ukraine and European allies as petrochemical sales are Russia's main source of income.

In a press conference with Zelenskyy on Friday, Macron stressed France's opposition to lifting Russian sanctions.

"It ‌is entirely true that the United States has granted limited exemptions," he said. "As for the G7, the common position has indeed been to maintain sanctions ​against Russia, and for the Europeans and France, it is also to maintain ⁠them. ​The current situation ​in no way justifies lifting these sanctions." 

Zelenskyy also lambasted the US decision.

"This ‌single easing by ‌the ​US could provide Russia with around $10 billion for ​the war. It certainly does ⁠not ​help [to achieve] ​peace," he said during the press conference.

How could Iran's strikes on Gulf states impact the war in Ukraine?

Meanwhile, Gulf states fending off constant Iranian drone and missile strikes are in dire need of air defense weaponry, which could create supply shortfall as they draw down their stocks.

Zelenskyy has warned of this impacting Ukraine's acute shortage of air defense missiles.

He said, without providing a source, that Gulf states had used in a few days more PAC-3 air defense missiles than Kyiv had received from the US over four years.

Still, the Ukrainian leader has tried to use the war to his advantage, offering the Gulf states Ukrainian drone interception technology in exchange for air defense missiles.

Zelenskyy also hopes that forging ties with the Russia-friendly Gulf states could lead them to exercise leverage over Moscow.

Russian strike in eastern Ukraine kills 3

Meanwhile on Friday, three people were killed when a Russian strike hit a bus near the embattled town of Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine.

The bus was near the village of Nova Oleksandrivka when it was hit by an Iskandr missile, local investigators said, posting an image of a red bus with blown out windows.

"Three people were killed as a result of the strike: the bus driver and two passengers," local investigators said.

Four others were wounded in the incident, with private houses also damaged, the General Prosecutor's office said.

There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, which claims its forces do not target civilians.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn