Kyiv: His country has been helping five countries in the Middle East and Gulf region counter attacks by Iranian drones. The US and European countries have also requested support, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday.
Ukraine is also looking into whether it can have a role in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, he said, as reported by News18.
The country has become one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective. These have been playing a vital role in Ukraine’s defense during the ongoing war against Russia.
“Our teams are already working with five countries on countering (Iran’s) Shahed’ drones – we have provided expert assessments and are helping build a defence system,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
He had previously said he hoped to provide expertise to Arab Gulf countries targeted by Iranian Shahed drones, versions of which are heavily used by Moscow’s invading forces, in exchange for advanced air defence missiles that Ukraine needs to counter devastating Russian aerial attacks.
However, Kyiv now fears it will get fewer of the sophisticated missiles it needs to fend off the Russian strikes as the Iran war burns through stockpiles.
The head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov, led a delegation to the Middle East and Gulf this week. He said that Ukraine has deployed interceptor units there to help protect civilian and critical infrastructure and is working to expand that protection.
Ukrainian military specialists are operating in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, he said on the Telegram messaging app.
Umerov said that Ukraine is assessing further steps for long-term security cooperation with each of those countries.
According to Zelenskky, the US has asked for expert support for their military personnel in two areas of the region, adding that Kyiv is also reviewing requests from European partners whose forces are based in the region.
Ukraine was awaiting White House approval for an agreement on drone production, the Zelenskky had said last week. A day later Trump spurned Ukraine’s offer of assistance, telling the “Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox News Radio: “No, we don’t need their help on drone defence.”
