Ukraine deploys units to 5 Middle East countries to intercept drones

KYIV — Ukraine has deployed specialist teams to five Middle Eastern countries to help intercept drones and advise on air-defense measures, with officials saying they expect to conclude several significant agreements.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said teams had been sent to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan, states that have come under fire during the Iran war.

He said that local air defense units were dealing with ballistic missiles, while Ukrainian specialists were focused on the waves of Iran’s Shahed drones.

“I believe no one has experience comparable to ours,” Zelenskyy told journalists in audio messages on a WhatsApp chat, adding that 228 Ukrainian specialists were now in the region.

“We are working with the Middle East — with leaders, at the technical level, and with ministries of defense. In general, we are preparing serious arrangements and agreements,” he said.

His security council secretary Rustem Umerov has visited all five of those countries this week, and said earlier on Friday that further steps for “long-term security cooperation” had been outlined with each, without giving details.

Kyiv has said nearly a dozen countries have sought its help and advice in defending against cheap kamikaze drones , which Iran is using against its Gulf neighbors. Russia has launched similar drones at Ukraine since its 2022 invasion, and Kyiv has developed its own advanced interceptor drone capabilities.

Although Gulf states operate sophisticated U.S.-made air defense systems, the missiles they use are in short supply and they cost much more than Iran’s Shahed drones.

Moscow has bombarded Ukraine with nearly 60,000 Shaheds and similar systems. It initially bought thousands of them from Iran, before establishing its own production facilities to make them under license. Ukraine has also launched drone attacks at Russia, although on a smaller scale.

Umerov said on Friday that drone interception units were initially protecting civilian and critical infrastructure, and work was under way to expand their coverage areas.

The teams were using Ukrainian technology to counter drone attacks and partners were consulting with them, he said.

Ukraine wants money and technology in return

Zelenskyy has said Kyiv wanted money and technology in return for its help in the Middle East, adding that the United States was among nations that sought Kyiv’s help, and that Ukrainian specialists had been sent to a U.S. military base in Jordan.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has a rocky relationship with Zelenskyy, has denied Washington needs Kyiv’s help in downing drones.

Zelenskyy said on Friday that teams from Kyiv and Washington would hold talks in the U.S. on the weekend, where they would discuss a wide-ranging drone deal and work on bilateral documents.

He did not specify which documents would be discussed, but Kyiv wants post-war security guarantees from Washington, and to agree a “prosperity plan” for economic revival after fighting ends.

Ukraine has spent a year trying to finalize a drone-cooperation package with Washington worth up to $50 billion. The proposal would see Ukraine share the innovative drone technologies it developed during the war in exchange for U.S. investment

“First and foremost, it includes naval drones and our long-range drones that have already been proven in the war,” Zelenskyy said.

He said that Ukraine was already jointly producing drones with Germany, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands, and that it was starting to do so with Norway.

“It is important that Ukraine’s global significance in ensuring security and the quality of Ukrainian security expertise in safeguarding lives are recognised by all partners,” he wrote on Telegram.

基辅——乌克兰已向五个中东国家派遣专家组，帮助拦截无人机并就防空措施提供建议。官员表示，他们预计将达成几项重要协议。

总统泽连斯基表示，已向阿拉伯联合酋长国、沙特阿拉伯、卡塔尔、科威特和约旦派出小组，这些国家在伊朗战争中都曾遭受炮火袭击。

他说，当地防空部队正在应对弹道导弹，而乌克兰专家则专注于应对伊朗“沙赫德”无人机的浪潮。

“我相信没有人拥有与我们相媲美的经验，”泽连斯基在WhatsApp聊天中的语音信息中告诉记者，并补充说，目前有228名乌克兰专家在该地区。

他说：“我们正在与中东地区开展合作——与领导人、技术层面以及国防部进行合作。总的来说，我们正在制定一些重要的安排和协议。”

他的安全委员会秘书鲁斯捷姆·乌梅罗夫本周访问了这五个国家，并在周五早些时候表示，已与每个国家制定了“长期安全合作”的进一步步骤，但没有透露细节。

基辅方面表示，已有近十几个国家向其寻求帮助和建议，以防御伊朗用于攻击其海湾邻国的廉价自杀式无人机。自2022年入侵乌克兰以来，俄罗斯也曾向乌克兰发射过类似的无人机，而基辅方面也已发展出自己的先进拦截无人机能力。

尽管海湾国家拥有先进的美国制造的防空系统，但它们使用的导弹供应短缺，而且价格远高于伊朗的“沙赫德”无人机。

莫斯科已向乌克兰投放了近6万枚“沙赫德”及类似导弹。最初，俄罗斯从伊朗购买了数千枚此类导弹，之后建立了自己的生产设施，并获得了生产许可。乌克兰也对俄罗斯发动了无人机袭击，但规模较小。

乌梅罗夫周五表示，无人机拦截部队最初是为了保护民用和关键基础设施，目前正在努力扩大其覆盖范围。

他说，这些团队正在使用乌克兰的技术来应对无人机袭击，合作伙伴正在与他们进行磋商。

乌克兰希望以金钱和技术作为回报

泽连斯基表示，基辅希望以在中东的帮助换取金钱和技术，他还补充说，美国是寻求基辅帮助的国家之一，乌克兰专家已被派往约旦的一个美国军事基地。

与泽连斯基关系紧张的美国总统唐纳德·特朗普否认华盛顿需要基辅的帮助来击落无人机。

泽连斯基周五表示，基辅和华盛顿的团队将于周末在美国举行会谈，讨论一项范围广泛的无人机协议，并着手准备双边文件。

他没有具体说明将讨论哪些文件，但基辅希望从华盛顿获得战后安全保证，并就战后经济复苏的“繁荣计划”达成一致。

乌克兰花费一年时间试图与华盛顿敲定一项价值高达500亿美元的无人机合作方案。该方案将使乌克兰分享其在战争期间开发的创新无人机技术，以换取美国的投资。

泽连斯基说：“首先，它包括海军无人机和我们已经在战争中证明有效的远程无人机。”

他说，乌克兰已经与德国、英国、丹麦和荷兰联合生产无人机，并且正在开始与挪威合作生产无人机。

他在 Telegram 上写道：“乌克兰在确保全球安全方面的重要性以及乌克兰在保障生命安全方面的安全专业知识的质量，必须得到所有合作伙伴的认可，这一点非常重要。”