PARIS, France (AFP)— Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russia of supporting the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its conflict against Israel.

“We are certain that Russia is supporting, in one way or another, Hamas operations,” Zelensky said in an interview with the France 2 television channel.

“The current crisis… bears witness to the fact that Russia really is seeking to carry out destabilising actions all over the world,” he added.

The Ukrainian leader also expressed his concern that the international community was turning away from the war in Ukraine in the face of the “tragedy” that has befallen Israel following the Hamas attacks.

“I don’t wish to make any comparisons. There is a terrible war going on in our country. In Israel, many people have lost their loved ones. These tragedies are different, but both are immense,” he said.

Zelensky warned, however, that if “international attention risks turning away from Ukraine, and that will have consequences”.

“Ukraine’s destiny depends on the unity of the rest of the world. World unity depends very much on the unity of the United States,” said the Ukrainian leader.

Regarding the continuing war in Ukraine, Zelensky said that the counteroffensive launched by his army in June in an attempt to liberate the occupied territories “is continuing on several fronts, and in all cases, we are making progress”.

But he added that the campaign is “very difficult”, notably because Russia has built a very elaborate network of fortifications made up of minefields, anti-tank traps and trenches.