Ukrainian drones attract interest from countries beyond Middle East, Zelenskyy says

Countries beyond the Middle East, where U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran are ongoing, have shown interest in Ukrainian interceptor drones capable of countering Iranian "Shaheds".

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this following a report from NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov.

The Ukrainian leader noted that substantive cooperation is already underway in this context with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

"Work with Jordan is ongoing. We are also in communication with Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. Rustem Umerov reported today on planned work with countries outside the Middle East—specifically Turkey and several others with significant potential," Zelenskyy stated.

According to him, the NSDC secretary remains in contact at the political level with partners who are under attack by the Iranian regime.

"Our military expertise is already yielding results. Our interceptors are already yielding results. We already have several long-term agreements for cooperation and mutual reinforcement, and we are preparing new solutions," the Ukrainian President noted.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the need for joint security for Ukraine and countries in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.

"Iranian "Shahed" drones and missiles pose essentially the same threat we face in Europe when defending against Russian "Shahed" drones and missiles. Blocking normal shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is a similar challenge to what Ukraine faced in 2022, when Russia tried to block our ports and access to the sea, but on a more dangerous scale. No nation should be left alone to face terrorist strikes," he said.