Zelenskyy warns oil price surge could help Russia’s war effort

KYIV Ukraine AP A sharp rise in global oil prices following Israeli strikes on Iran will benefit Russia and bolster its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Friday in comments that were under embargo until Saturday afternoon Speaking to journalists in Kyiv Zelenskyy noted the surge in oil prices threatens Ukraine s position on the battlefield especially because Western allies have not enforced effective price caps on Russian oil exports The strikes led to a sharp increase in the price of oil which is negative for us Zelenskyy declared The Russians are getting stronger due to greater income from oil exports Global oil prices rose as much as after Israel and Iran exchanged attacks over the past hours raising concerns that further escalation in the region could disrupt oil exports from the Middle East Zelenskyy to address concerns with the US Zelenskyy explained he planned to raise the issue in an upcoming conversation with U S President Donald Trump In the near future I will be in contact with the American side I think with the president and we will raise this issue he disclosed Zelenskyy also expressed concern that U S military aid could be diverted away from Ukraine toward Israel during renewed tensions in the Middle East We would like aid to Ukraine not to decrease because of this he announced Last time this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine Ukraine s military necessities have been sidelined by the United States in favor of supporting Israel Zelenskyy noted citing a shipment of interceptor missiles designed to counter Iran-made Shahed drones that had been intended for Ukraine but were redirected to Israel And for us it was a blow he revealed When you face to drones a day majority are shot down or go off discipline but selected get through We were counting on those missiles An air defense system Barak- promised to Ukraine by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was sent to the U S for repairs but never delivered to Ukraine Zelenskyy stated The Ukrainian president conceded that momentum for the Coalition of the Willing a group of countries which have pledged to strengthen assistance for Ukraine against Russian aggression has slowed because of U S ambivalence over providing a backstop This situation has shown that Europe has not yet decided for itself that it will be with Ukraine wholly if America is not there he explained Coalition of the Willing offer under consideration The offer of a foreign troop reassurance force pledged by the Coalition of the Willing was still on the table but they need a backstop as they say from America Zelenskyy mentioned This means that suddenly if something happens America will be with them and with Ukraine The Ukrainian president also announced the presence of foreign contingents in Ukraine would act as a prevention guarantee and allow Kyiv to make territorial compromises which is the first time he has articulated a link between the reassurance force and concessions Kyiv is willing to make in negotiations with Russia It is solely that their presence gives us the opportunity to compromise when we can say that this day our state does not have the strength to take our territories within the borders of he commented But Europe and Ukraine are still waiting on strong signals from Trump Without crushing U S sanctions against Russia I will tell you frankly it will be very hard for us Zelenskyy revealed adding that it would then fall on Europe to step up military aid to Ukraine Body and prisoner returns follow Istanbul talks In other developments Russia repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations Russian administrators reported Saturday cited by Russian state media The leaders noted Ukraine did not return any bodies to Russia on Saturday Ukraine s Coordination Headquarters for the Rehabilitation of Prisoners of War validated in a comment that Russia returned bodies Ukraine and Russia also exchanged another group of ill and severely wounded servicemen on Saturday personnel from both countries mentioned although the sides did not assessment the numbers Zelenskyy stated in a post on X that the Ukrainian servicemen who returned were members of the Armed Forces the National Guard the State Frontier Guard System and the State Carriage Special Institution The first round of the staggered exchanges took place on Monday The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the June Istanbul talks Russia says push continues Continuing a renewed battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than -kilometer over -mile front line the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Saturday that its troops captured another village in the Donetsk region Zelenyi Kut The Ukrainian military had no immediate comment on the Russian claim Russia launched drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday according to the Ukrainian air force which reported its air defenses destroyed drones while another were jammed Russia s defense ministry reported it shot down Ukrainian drones overnight Attacks have continued despite discussions of a prospective ceasefire in the war During the June talks in Istanbul Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters making a quick deal unlikely Follow the AP s coverage of the war at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine