Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukraine's drone experts will deploy to the Middle East next week to assist US and Gulf allies in defending against Iranian-made drones. Kyiv hopes to exchange its expertise for air defence support, particularly the US PAC-3 missiles, which have been in short supply and could face further disruption if the Middle East conflict continues.
During a press conference following talks with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, Zelensky highlighted Ukraine's experience countering Shahed drones, now being used by Iran to strike Gulf nations. He said the collaboration with the Netherlands could extend to joint arms production, investments, and increased production volumes, emphasizing the potential for mutually beneficial partnerships while maintaining Ukraine's own defence capabilities.
The decision comes as global weapons flows surge, with Europe tripling arms imports in response to the Ukraine war, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Russia reported intercepting 234 drones over central and southern Russia in a nine-hour period on Sunday, signaling ongoing drone threats even within its territory, though no damage or casualties were reported.
As Zelensky states on social media:
We have received some messages regarding how to help civilians in the Middle East and how to help American soldiers deployed in certain countries. We responded: we will send experts and provide everything needed to protect them. Many issues are being discussed in this dialogue. If we are talking about increasing capabilities, we would very much like this to be a beneficial for both sides. We discuss this track.
As of now it is too early to speak in detail. Next week, when the experts are on the ground, assess the situation and provide assistance - since they are coming with the capabilities to assist right away - we will proceed accordingly. Let us wait for the initial meetings.