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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova

Ukraine’s low-cost killers draw both US and Gulf interest. A wartime ban blocks sales

FPV drones are seen in a storage of the workshop of "General Cherry" company in Ukraine, on Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File) - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

As the conflict in the Middle East places increasing strain on US missile stockpiles, Ukraine is leveraging its wartime innovations – specifically, low-cost interceptors designed to counter Russian attack drones – into significant geopolitical influence.

Now a leading global producer of these interceptors, Ukraine is offering its expertise to the United States and its Gulf allies for use in the Middle East. In return, Kyiv hopes to secure the high-end weaponry it cannot manufacture domestically.

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