Zelensky: Russia wants to trigger war in Middle East to ‘undermine world unity’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is interested in starting a war in the Middle East in an effort to “undermine world unity.”

In a video address Monday, Zelensky said he met with Ukrainian intelligence officials and diplomats following Hamas’s surpise attack on Israel, noting that the current state of the Middle East is a “fundamental importance for us — not only for Ukraine, but also for the entire Europe.” 

“According to the available information — a very clear one — Russia is interested in triggering a war in the Middle East, so that a new source of pain and suffering could undermine world unity, increase discord and contradictions, and thus help Russia destroy freedom in Europe,” he said. “We see Russian propagandists gloating.” 

Zelensky also said Russia’s ally Iran openly supported the attacks on Israel, referring to it as a “much greater threat than the world currently perceives.” 

“The world wars of the past started with local aggressions,” Ukraine’s leader added. “We know how to counter this threat.”

“We are preparing appropriate steps. And most importantly, we are defending the need for maximum unity in the world.”

Zelensky’s remarks come days after he condemned Hamas’s attack on Israel. 

Israeli armed forces launched a counteroffensive attack on Gaza in response to the attacks by Hamas, which has left hundreds of people in Israel dead, with more than 150 soldiers and civilians being held hostage by the militant group. 

Hamas’s attacks on Israel on Saturday included targeted attacks on civilians, such as people who had been attending a music festival.

“Today, the entire world saw horrifying videos from Israel. Terrorists humiliate women and men, detain even the elderly, and show no mercy,” Zelensky wrote Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “In the face of such a terrorist strike, everyone who values life must stand in solidarity.

“Our position is crystal clear: anyone who causes terror and death anywhere on the planet must be held accountable. Today’s terrorist attack on Israel was well-planned, and the entire world knows which sponsors of terrorism could have endorsed and enabled its organization.”