Donald Trump takes another shot at Zelensky on his social media platform.Image: EPA
Trump mocks the Ukrainian president, but escalation in the Middle East suddenly turns Kiev’s drone-based air defense into a strategic export.
03/04/2026, 09:4703/04/2026, 09:47
Donald Trump can’t help it. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, he referred to the Ukrainian president as “PT Barnum,” the sensationalist showbiz king of the 19th century. Volodymyr Zelenskyj bagged billions worth of American high-end weapons for free, and only thanks to Trump’s foresight could the missing stocks be replenished in a timely manner.
“I think it is a good decision to attack Iranian military targets.”
Volodimir Zelensky
This is a poor reward for the Ukrainian, as he was one of the very first heads of state to support the new US attack on Iran. “I think it is a good decision to attack Iranian military targets,” Zelensky said to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, referring to Iran’s arms deliveries to Russia. But what consequences does the latest Middle East escalation have for Eastern Europeans? What opportunities are opening up? What dangers threaten?
Ukrainian air defense as an export hit
Trump’s low blow against Zelensky does not affect the mood in the West, on the contrary: In view of the Iranian missile and drone strikes, many commentators point to Ukrainian expertise in air defense. The US author Michael Weiss therefore describes Ukraine as “light years ahead in knowing how to wage a modern war”. The slogan is already circulating on social networks: “NATO, keep your nerve and join Ukraine.”
Zelenskyj is now deliberately putting this reputation into play in order to collect bonus points for Ukraine in the slipstream of Iran’s escalation. He also posts in Arabic and negotiates with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed. “The situation in the Middle East shows how difficult it is to ensure 100% protection against missiles and Shahed drones,” he said in his evening speech on March 1st. “Everyone now sees that our defense experience is largely irreplaceable.”
ناقشنا الجوانب الرئيسية للوضع في الشرق الأوسط وفي منطقة الخليج مع رئيس دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة محمد بن زايد آل نهيان. وأعربت له عن تعازيّ في سقوط ضحايا نتيجة الضربات الجنونية القادمة من إيران.
وأشار فخامة الرئيس إلى أن النظام الإيراني يستهدف ليس فقط المنشآت العسكرية، بل…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 3, 2026
Volodimir Zelenskyj is now posting X-Posts in Arabic.
Ukraine has learned not only to intercept Iranian drones militarily, but also to analyze them technically, understand production chains and quickly adapt countermeasures. Kyiv now wants to pass on this know-how. Zelensky emphasizes that his country is ready to “share this experience” – especially with those states that have supported Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion.
Britain has already announced that it will bring in Ukrainian experts to help Gulf partners defend against Iranian drones. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would “deploy experts from Ukraine, along with our own experts, to help Gulf states shoot down Iranian drones.”
Zelensky, for his part, emphasized in an interview with the “Corriere della Sera” that investments in the Ukrainian drone industry would give European partners valuable combat experience – because “airplanes and missiles alone are not enough to fend off Iranian drones.”
Fear of Patriot missile shortages
At the same time, Zelensky warns of possible consequences for his own defense. Ukraine relies heavily on the US Patriot system for its air defense – which is now also increasingly needed in the Middle East. “It could be difficult to procure missiles and weapons to defend our airspace,” the Ukrainian president continued in the same interview.
High demand: Ukraine also relies on the Patriot system.Image: keystone
Zelensky also expressed concern to the online portal Kyiv Independent: “Of course this question worries us. So far there have been no corresponding signals from either the Americans or the Europeans.” If the war continues, the intensity of the fighting will “affect the amount of air defense we receive.”
Last year, deliveries were temporarily delayed due to the 12-Day War. Since the end of large-scale US military aid under the Trump administration, Kiev has been almost entirely dependent on European financing and its own arms production. The escalation in the Middle East is diverting international attention from the Russian war of aggression, at least in the short term.
Contradictory geopolitical situation
Some observers hope the conflict with Moscow’s Iranian ally could drive a wedge between Washington and the Kremlin. Political scientist Volodimir Fesenko told the Kyiv Independent that we must now “demonstrate our cooperative attitude towards the USA and take advantage of the objective contradictions between the USA and Russia”.
The British political scientist Jenny Mathers, on the other hand, sees no signs so far that US hostility towards Iran could fundamentally change the American attitude towards Russia. The same applies to Trump’s personal relationship with Zelensky, if one takes the swipe at Truth Social described above as a benchmark. Whether Zelensky’s rapprochement with the Gulf states can compensate for this is an open question.
There is also a risk of an indirect disadvantage in the short term: if oil prices continue to rise at this rate, Russia’s deficit war chest will be replenished all the more quickly.