Zelensky: Putin helping Iran, yet Netanyahu wants to ‘balance’ between Russia and Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to maintain a neutral stance between Moscow and Kyiv, even though Russia has been providing critical intelligence in the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran.

Zelensky made the remark during an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 news after concluding a lightning tour of Mideast countries where he signed defense cooperation agreements aimed at lending Ukraine’s expertise in combatting Iran-made drones. Russia purchased those UAVs from Iran and has been firing them en masse in Ukraine since invading the latter country in 2022.

Zelensky’s trip featured stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Asked why his trip to the Middle East didn’t include a stop in Israel, Zelensky told Channel 12 he “didn’t have communication” from either Netanyahu or President Isaac Herzog since the start of the Iran war.

“That’s why we didn’t send anybody,” he said. “Nobody asked me to help.”

“We did these trips to get results. Not just to go, not just to speak,” Zelensky explained. “We want to help.”

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An official from Netanyahu’s office said earlier this month that the premier was trying to arrange a phone call with Zelensky, reportedly to discuss defense against Iran’s drones. Though Zelensky agreed, Netanyahu never called, Channel 12 said.

According to the network, Zelensky’s last conversation with Netanyahu was in January 2025, when Israel and Hamas agreed to a short-lived hostage-ceasefire deal.

“My feeling is that the prime minister always wants to balance between Russia and Ukraine. And even when Russia is helping Iran, I feel that [the] prime minister, still, is balancing,” said Zelensky.

Ukraine has sought Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, but Netanyahu has ruled that out to avoid antagonizing Russia.

Israeli officials defended this stance more fervently when Russia controlled the skies over Syria before the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime last year. Since then, some Israeli officials have been willing to break more publicly with Moscow, but Netanyahu has avoided doing so.

Speaking to Channel 12, Zelensky said his message to Netanyahu was: “We have what he needs. He has what we need.”

“He knows about it very well,” said Zelensky, adding that since the start of the war in Ukraine, “We gave several signals to Israel” that its help would be appreciated.

“But we have some things which Israel doesn’t have,” added Zelensky.

Zelensky said he had shown Middle East leaders proof that Russia was providing Iran with intelligence and technical know-how that helped the Islamic Republic target their countries during the war in the region.

Besides sharing what Ukraine had learned on the battlefield against Russia’s drones, Zelensky said he also provided evidence that Russia was giving Iran pictures of US and European military bases and critical infrastructure throughout the Middle East.

Iran has fired missiles and drones at energy facilities and US military bases across the region, killing at least 13 US service members and wounding over 300, since the US and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its nuclear and missile programs.

“I think Russia is supporting Iran directly, 100%. The same format of sharing satellite images like they did in the case of Ukraine,” said Zelensky, echoing a Washington Post report earlier this month.

“I am sure Russia wants a long war. They have benefits: The US is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine. Sanctions are partially lifted,” said Zelensky. “I see only benefits for Russia from the war with Iran continuing.”

Agencies contributed to this report.