While fighting for its own survival against a Russian invasion, Ukraine has found the capacity to extend its defense expertise to the wider world. President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will provide the United States and Middle Eastern allies with systems and specialists to help them counter the Iranian Shahed drones now destabilizing the Middle East.
The outreach has been extensive. Zelenskyy confirmed direct conversations with the leaders of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, and confirmed that a formal US request had been received and acted upon. He ordered both equipment and Ukrainian technical experts to be provided, while emphasizing that the assistance would not compromise Ukraine’s own defensive posture.
Ukraine’s ability to offer this help stems from years of brutal experience. Russia has attacked Ukraine with tens of thousands of Shahed drones, producing a combat environment that has no equivalent elsewhere in the world. Ukrainian engineers responded by developing interceptor drones that cost as little as $1,000 — systems that have repeatedly proved their effectiveness and are now attracting intense international interest.
For Zelenskyy, the offer serves multiple purposes. It advances Ukraine’s foreign policy goals by building a network of partners who owe Kyiv a diplomatic debt. It demonstrates Ukraine’s capabilities to an international audience. And it reinforces the argument that Ukraine’s war is not a regional affair but a global struggle with consequences for security everywhere.
The EU’s top diplomat echoed this framing, raising Ukraine’s experience at talks between European and Gulf foreign ministers as a potential model for regional drone defense. Zelenskyy acknowledged the diplomatic complications caused by the Iran crisis — particularly the postponement of peace talks — but remained optimistic that the situation would stabilize and that progress toward ending the war with Russia would resume.