Ukraine delivers support to the Persian Gulf countries

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the provision of support on Tuesday, March 10. Teams of specialists are expected to arrive on site later this week in Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

In exchange for providing assistance, the President of Ukraine expects that Ukraine will receive means to counter Russian air attacks. The country primarily needs missiles for its air defense systems—specifically PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors for the Patriot systems.

The President also referred to the drone agreement proposed to the United States, the so-called “Drone Deal.” “It included interceptor drones and more. We discussed our overall experience and our production capabilities on a scale we are not currently utilizing. We simply lack the funds to finance full-scale production. (…) We proposed this primarily to the Americans, our partners, and the fact that the Middle East is now turning to us is essentially part of the drone agreement. That is why this agreement remains absolutely relevant for the United States.”

Requests for assistance in defending against Iranian drone attacks were reportedly sent to Kyiv by 11 countries. These included nations from the Persian Gulf and Europe, as well as the United States. During the Russo-Ukrainian war, Ukrainians gathered a lot of experience regarding the use of drones in combat scenarios. Now they are using this experience as an asset in military cooperation with international partners.