Kyiv is looking for new partnerships amid blocked support from the European Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“We are being blocked in Europe,” Zelenskyy admitted on Wednesday, saying, “as long as this risk remains, we must seek out additional opportunities to strengthen ourselves.”
“The Middle East and the Gulf are the right direction and serious opportunities to make Ukraine stronger.”
Kyiv’s team is currently negotiating Ukraine’s cooperation with several countries in the region. Zelenskyy confirmed on Thursday the requests from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, as well as from the US, regarding its military bases in the Middle East.
“Ukraine offers a mutually beneficial partnership: we can strengthen those who can strengthen us,” Zelenskyy stated, explaining that Ukraine can offer its unprecedented expertise in countering Iranian Shahed-type drones.
“In return for our support, we require corresponding support in areas where we face greater challenges here – namely, protection against ballistic threats and financial resources for defence.”
He also confirmed that Ukrainian teams are already on the ground in some of these countries.
“No matter how many Patriots, THAADs, or other air defence systems are in the Middle East, that alone is not enough for fully effective air defence. There are modern interceptors designed to counter heavy drone strikes.”
Ukraine has significantly improved its record in countering drones. In Russia's most recent massive attack on Tuesday, Ukrainian air defences downed 97% of the drones launched by Moscow.
Most of them were Shahed-type drones used by Tehran against the Gulf region countries since the beginning of the Iran war.
Apart from that, Tehran forces have been increasingly using FPV drones as well against the Middle Eastern countries.
Also known as civilian “wedding drones”, FPV's are small, cheap and disposable first-person view drones originally retooled for combat, which have become one of the most popular weapons in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Today around 60% of the Russian army’s losses are inflicted by Ukrainian FPV drones.
Zelenskyy said this area also attracted a lot of interest.
“We are already seeing that it is not only Shahed drones that are being deployed there, in the Middle East and the Gulf, but there is also growing evidence of the use of FPV drones. This is modern warfare, and we must be prepared for it," he said.
According to Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, in 2026 the capacity of the country’s defence industry could enable the production of over 8 million FPV drones per year, an unprecedented figure for any country at war and any NATO member.
In comparison, the US manufactures about 100,000 military drones per year.
Ukrainian drone manufacturers are hoping to make lucrative deals to sell their products in the Middle East, which would provide a significant boost to Ukraine’s defence industry and overall economy — particularly as the country faces a looming financial shortfall at the end of spring that only a €90 billion loan could cover.
