According to a statement by President Volodymyr Zelensky in the British parliament, Ukraine has sent 201 military experts to fight drones to Persian Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. A further 34 experts are, according to him, ready for deployment. These are specialists with experience fighting Iranian Shahed-type drones, gained during more than three years of war with Russia. Al Jazeera ↗
During unannounced visits to the Gulf on March 26–28, Zelensky signed ten-year defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. According to Al Jazeera, the agreements focus on cooperation in technological areas, joint investments, and the exchange of expertise in combating missiles and unmanned systems. Zelensky indicated that the total value of the contracts could reach tens of billions of dollars, though specific terms were not disclosed. Al Jazeera ↗
A key part of Ukraine's offer are cheap interceptor drones developed to destroy Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Al Jazeera, the Ukrainian companies Wild Hornets and General Cherry produce interceptors called The Sting and Bullet, which cost approximately 1,000 to 2,000 dollars apiece. By comparison, a single Patriot system missile costs on the order of millions of dollars. Using expensive missiles against a slow drone worth tens of thousands of dollars is economically unsustainable, and this is precisely where Ukraine offers a cheaper alternative. According to NBC News, Ukrainian soldiers regularly shoot down 80 to 90 percent of incoming Russian drones. Al Jazeera ↗ NBC News ↗
According to analysts, the cooperation also has a strategic dimension. Gulf countries possess expensive air defense systems such as Patriot and THAAD, but these are designed for ballistic missiles, not slow drones. At the same time, Ukraine has long needed precisely these systems to defend against Russian ballistic missiles. According to Al Jazeera, Zelensky is making the assistance conditional on countries seeking Ukrainian expertise continuing to support Ukraine's defense. Al Jazeera ↗
Iran responded to the cooperation with a formal protest at the UN. According to the Ukrinform agency, Iranian ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani sent a letter to Secretary-General Guterres on March 30, in which Tehran described the deployment of Ukrainian experts as active participation in military aggression. Iran claims that Ukraine bears international responsibility for aiding in the commission of unlawful acts and that, according to Tehran, targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure may constitute war crimes. Ukrinform ↗
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the accusations. Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, according to Ukrinform, recalled that since 2022 approximately 60,000 Iranian drones supplied to Russia have struck Ukraine, while no Ukrainian drone has ever struck Iranian territory. Tehran also claims that on March 28 a Ukrainian anti-drone system warehouse in Dubai was hit, which Kyiv called untrue. Ukrinform ↗
The whole situation creates a geopolitical paradox. For years, Iran supplied Russia with Shahed drones to attack Ukrainian infrastructure. Over three years of war, Ukraine has built up unique experience in shooting down precisely these drones, and is now offering this expertise to Gulf countries facing the same Iranian threat.
Ukraine offers Gulf countries cheap defense against drones, Iran reacts with accusations at the UN
On Record
Volodymyr Zelenskyj
Prezident Ukrajiny
05.09.2026
„Odteraz do konca soboty, ako aj v nedeľu a v pondelok, je Ukrajina pripravená zdržať sa útokov na Moskvu a očakávame, že Rusi urobia to isté pri Kyjeve."
Zelenskyj na Telegrame po rozhovore s americkým tímom ohlásil jednostranné zastavenie úderov na ruskú metropolu na čas návštevy vyslancov.
Volodymyr Zelenskyj
Prezident Ukrajiny
15.07.2026
„Koreckyj je najpripravenejší človek na post premiéra."
Zelenskyj zdôvodnil nomináciu šéfa Naftogazu na premiéra prípravou na zimu, počas ktorej Rusko útočí na ukrajinskú energetiku.
Volodymyr Zelenskyj
Prezident Ukrajiny
23.05.2026
„Bránime Európu – celú, nie spolovice a nie polovičatými opatreniami."
V reakcii na návrh nemeckého kancelára Merza dať Ukrajine „pridružené" členstvo v EÚ bez hlasovacích práv.
👤
Volodymyr Zelenskyj
Prezident Ukrajiny
19.03.2026
„Toto je pre nás kritické. Je to zdroj na ochranu životov."
Videolink na summit EÚ, žiadosť o uvoľnenie pôžičky
👤
Volodymyr Zelenskyj
Prezident Ukrajiny
08.10.2026
„l’une des attaques les plus ignobles"
Hodnotenie rozsiahlych ruských útokov na Ukrajinu
👤
Volodymyr Zelenskyj
Prezident Ukrajiny
04.10.2026
„Nebudeme ako oni"
Vyjadrenie k ukrajinskej odpovedi na ruské útoky
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