Ukraine offers drone defence expertise to Middle East, seeks tech and funding

Zelenskiy said Ukraine had sent teams of experts to assist countries facing attacks from Iranian-made drones.

Ukraine wants financial support and technological cooperation in exchange for helping Middle Eastern countries defend against Iranian “kamikaze” drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after Kyiv deployed specialist teams to several nations in the region.

Speaking to reporters in comments cleared for release on Sunday, Zelenskiy said Ukraine had sent teams of experts to assist countries facing attacks from Iranian-made drones.

Each team consists of dozens of specialists who will assess local defence systems and demonstrate how effective drone-defence operations should be conducted, he said.

Gulf countries have used large numbers of air-defence missiles to counter Iranian attack drones and have turned to Ukraine for expertise, given its extensive experience defending against similar systems used by Russia.

Ukraine intercepts Russian drones nightly using a mix of air-defence weapons, including smaller drones and electronic jamming systems that are cheaper and more sustainable than missile-based defences.

Zelenskiy said nearly a dozen countries around the world had sought Kyiv’s help in developing strategies to counter drone attacks.

Earlier this week, he said Ukrainian teams had been sent to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, while another official said specialists had also visited a US military base in Jordan.

“This is not about being involved in operations. We are not at war with Iran,” Zelenskiy said.

“This is about protection and a thorough, complete assessment on our part of how to counter the Shaheds,” he added, referring to the Iranian-made Shahed drones widely used in modern conflicts.

Zelenskiy said the details of what Ukraine would receive in return for the assistance were still being discussed.

“Honestly, for us today, both the technology and the funding are important,” he said.

He also said he was unsure whether Ukraine and the United States would finalise a long-discussed agreement on cooperation in drone development, which Kyiv has been trying to secure for several months.