Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will visit Paris on Friday to press for continued backing from one of Kyiv's principal Western partners at a time when the war in the Middle East is drawing international attention away from Ukraine's conflict with Russia.
Officials in Kyiv and Paris say the widening confrontation in the Gulf region is creating questions over the availability of weapons shipments to Ukraine - particularly air-defence systems and their munitions - because a number of Gulf Arab states are using their own air-defence stocks to counter frequent attacks by Iran.
Zelenskiy has warned that Ukraine's already acute shortage of air-defence missiles risks becoming worse. This week he stated that Gulf states had expended more PAC-3 air-defence missiles in a matter of days against Iranian strikes than Kyiv had received from Washington over the last four years. Zelenskiy did not specify the source of his figures.
The conflict in the Middle East has also been associated with a surge in oil prices - a revenue stream that is important to Russia - while Kyiv continues to face financial strain.
At the same time, the European Union has not yet reached agreement on a proposed 90 billion euro loan package that would, among other uses, provide Kyiv with funds to procure weapons. Ukrainian officials are hopeful the loan will be in place by mid-April.
A French presidency official, speaking to reporters ahead of the visit, said: "The key message of this visit, and its primary purpose, is to show that nothing - no crisis, no development - will divert our attention from Ukraine, which remains for us a major security issue. Our support for Ukraine will not waver."
Beyond seeking assurances from Paris, Zelenskiy has been reaching out to Gulf Arab states - several of which maintain close ties with Moscow - to demonstrate that Ukraine can be a dependable partner. As part of those efforts, Kyiv has proposed trading technology that intercepts drones in exchange for air-defence missiles.
Ukrainian experts and officials were dispatched this week to four Middle Eastern countries as part of the outreach aimed at securing both matériel and strategic cooperation.
Context and implications
The trip to Paris is intended to reinforce the message that the international community's focus on Ukraine should not wane despite competing crises. French officials emphasize continuity of support, while Kyiv looks to diversify its sources of defensive equipment amid strains on Western and regional supplies.