A widening U.S. war with Iran could sideline efforts to pressure Vladimir Putin and drain critical missile stockpiles needed by Ukraine, Politico reported, citing mounting concern among European officials about the impact on American military aid.

“Europeans fear that the U.S., distracted [by war with Iran], will lose interest in pushing Putin toward peace - at a time when America is running down missile stockpiles desperately needed by Ukraine,” Politico writes.

The publication notes that while European governments have struggled to manage Donald Trump’s provocative interventions, they may soon face “something worse: ceasing to be the object of his attention.”

Politico suggests that the current U.S. operation against Iran, approved by Trump, is becoming a priority for military planners at the Pentagon and the White House.

If the U.S. is drawn into a prolonged Middle East conflict, the consequences could extend beyond politics. “Ukraine may lose access to U.S.-made weapons needed to counter Russia’s daily missile attacks, as U.S. forces expend similar weapons against Iran,” the article states.

The authors recall comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that prolonged fighting in the Middle East “will certainly affect [weapons] supplies to Ukraine.” “I am sure of that,” Zelenskyy acknowledged.

On March 2, Trump said the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran could last four to five weeks but that he is prepared if it continues longer. Some analysts warn the conflict could escalate into a broader war from which the United States may struggle to disengage.

“In terms of attention, there is a domino effect,” Politico quotes Ed Arnold of the UK’s Royal United Services Institute. “How can you pressure Trump to implement political measures or reconsider new efforts to constrain the Russians in Ukraine if he has just opened another front in a potential war? Moreover, if you are going to ‘fire off’ a lot of weapons and equipment in the region, you won’t have the stockpiles.”

Even before the United States began airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28, officials in Washington had warned that such a conflict could drain U.S. weapons stockpiles and leave the country more vulnerable. That argument is likely to intensify the longer the war lasts, Politico suggests.

In turn, this could push the Trump administration to prioritize replenishing its own reserves rather than selling those missiles to Europe and Ukraine, a senior European government official told Politico on condition of anonymity.

“A lot of firepower is being expended [in the war with Iran], including interceptors and other missiles,” the official said. “The U.S. needs to restock, and that means Europe or Ukraine will have fewer opportunities to purchase.”

Kyiv considers U.S.-made PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems vital for shooting down Russian missiles, Politico notes. European governments also lack ready air defense stockpiles and are prioritizing development of their own capabilities to become more self-reliant and better able to support Ukraine. Such efforts, however, are likely to take years.

The outlet highlights a call by Kateryna Chernohorenko, a former Ukrainian deputy defense minister, urging domestic arms manufacturers “to act very quickly: buy up remaining critical components in warehouses, effectively build a 12-24 month reserve.” “The situation in the Middle East could very quickly turn into a components crisis for Ukraine’s defense industry. Prices, quotas and supply chains will shift sharply,” Chernohorenko stressed.

Formally, Trump remains committed to seeking a resolution to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the article says. Its authors recall that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner met Ukrainian representatives last week in Geneva. Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy ahead of trilateral talks involving Russia that were expected to take place this week in Abu Dhabi.

However, the exact date, time and location of those talks are now unclear, although Zelenskyy insists they should proceed, calling them “important” for Ukraine.

The war in Iran has already affected Ukraine in another respect, delaying a key meeting on Kyiv’s path toward EU membership. A meeting in Cyprus this week was expected to provide Ukrainian officials with detailed guidance on the next steps required for accession.

But after an Iranian drone struck a British air base in Cyprus, the meeting was postponed, Politico recalls. “This delay was another frustration for Kyiv, as at the end of last year the EU failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction and also failed to finalize a much-needed 90 billion euro loan promised as an alternative. Without an urgent new funding package, Ukraine will face a budget shortfall as early as next month,” the publication emphasizes.

A European diplomat familiar with EU planning told Politico the bloc intends to reschedule the canceled Cyprus meeting and deliver the remaining documents needed for further accession talks as soon as possible.

“It is important not to lose momentum,” the diplomat said. “We do not want to allow the situation in the Middle East to affect that.”

At the same time, amid the war in Iran, Putin is not getting everything he might have hoped for, the article’s authors note. They point out that U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several commanders and other senior officials, depriving Putin of another valuable ally after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January 2026.

Iran also purchased Russian weapons and, at the start of the war in Ukraine, supplied Russia with Shahed drones, although Moscow has since produced many of its own versions based on Iranian designs.

Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign policy committee, told Politico he is “not worried that Trump will be overly distracted by the war in Iran.”

“In principle, there are certain advantages for us,” he said. U.S. strikes on Iran not only deprive Russia of a weapons supplier but may also demonstrate to Trump that Ukraine is “on the same side” as the United States - two democracies fighting authoritarian regimes. “We are fighting against the entire axis of evil,” Merezhko said. “It is not only Russia - it is Iran, North Korea, and China, which is economically supporting Russia’s war machine.”

Meanwhile, Yehor Cherniev, deputy chairman of Ukraine’s parliamentary committee on national security and defense, told Politico that the war in Iran will proceed “in parallel” with U.S.-mediated peace talks, which have not been canceled.

“They are interconnected,” Cherniev said. “The faster and more effectively the U.S. acts against Iran, the greater the chances of progress in peace negotiations with Russia. The only risk for us would be if the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran drags on and achieves none of its objectives. Then attention to Ukraine could indeed weaken.”

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