Kyiv, Ukraine—Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made an unannounced visit to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on Saturday as Ukraine seeks to use drone expertise to help Gulf Arab countries blunt Iran’s attacks and war in the Middle East.
Zelensky said Ukraine has already signed 10-year security agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar and is expected to soon finalise a similar deal with the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine has rapidly become one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective. They are playing a vital role in its defense against Russia’s full-scale attack, which began on February 24, 2022.
In return for its assistance to the Gulf countries, Ukraine wants more high-end air defence missiles, which is what they have, and Kyiv needs them to counter Russian attacks. On Thursday, Zelensky visited Saudi Arabia, and last week he said Ukraine was considering whether it could play a role in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy and Emirati state media reported a meeting between the Ukrainian president and his Emirati counterpart, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss regional security amid the Iran war.
Zelenskyy later posted on Twitter.
that he had flown to Doha and met with Qatar’s leaders, including the ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
According to the Qatar Defence Ministry, the defence ministers of Ukraine and Qatar signed cooperation agreements in the defence sector and defence investments.
“Real security is built on partnerships – we value everyone and are ready to support all who are ready to work together towards this goal,” Zelenskyy wrote alongside a video of himself disembarking from a plane in Qatar.
The war in the Middle East began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran. The Islamic Republic retaliated with attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab states and by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway. The war has disrupted global travel and sent oil prices soaring as its economic impact extends far beyond the region.
Last week, Zelensky revealed that Kyiv is countering Tehran’s drone attacks on its territory with the help of five countries: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan.
“For Ukraine, the issue is also a matter of principle: terror should not prevail anywhere in the world. Security should be adequate everywhere,” he said at the X after his meeting with the Emirati leader.
He said they discussed “the security situation in the Emirates, Iranian attacks, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affects the global oil market”.
Zelensky told reporters that his government wants to build long-term strategic ties with Middle Eastern countries, including joint production, investment, energy cooperation and sharing of battlefield experience.
“We are not interested in a simple sale,” he said in a live briefing held on Zoom on Saturday.
While Ukraine lacks high-end air defence systems, such as Patriot missiles, Zelensky said Kyiv has developed an “integrated” defence model that effectively protects against Iranian-made Shaheed drones.
At the beginning of the war, Tehran sent a large number of attack drones to Russia. Since then, Moscow has modified them to improve their effectiveness, launched domestic production, and has repeatedly launched drones over Ukrainian cities.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is offering “battle-tested” expertise to Gulf Arab partners and has already signed 10-year security agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The agreement with Qatar includes “joint defence industry projects,” the establishment of co-production facilities, and technological partnerships between companies, as Zelensky said in an X post.
At a media briefing, the Ukrainian leader said he hoped to reach a similar agreement with the UAE soon.
He also told reporters that Ukraine has received “no indication” from the US about the possible diversion of weapons, including those funded by Kiev’s European partners, from Ukraine to the Middle East.
His comments came after speculation that the Iran war could distract attention from Ukraine and deplete Western arsenals, forcing NATO allies to reduce military support. To Kiev.
Russia is already profiting from rising global energy prices due to damage to oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf; Iran is blocking the Strait of Hormuz, an important oil choke point.
Zelensky on Friday also rejected US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent comments, dismissing them as “a lie.” The Ukrainian leader claims Washington wants Kyiv to cede territory to Russia before providing security guarantees.
Zelenskyy said his earlier statements in an interview with Reuters reflected the “general direction” of the talks.
“I have not lied to anyone,” he said, adding that Rubio may have misinterpreted his comments.
Zelenskyy stressed that the US has not directly pressured Kiev to withdraw troops from Donbass, Ukraine’s industrial heartland long coveted by Moscow.
Russian forces have occupied large parts of the region but have not captured a single strip of land, which is one of the most heavily fortified areas’ front line. Kyiv fears Moscow could use the region as a launchpad for further aggression.
But Zelenskyy said he was concerned by Washington’s insistence that Ukraine would receive guarantees only after a comprehensive peace deal, not a ceasefire agreement. Kyiv claims that Russia has refused to end the war until it captures all of Donbass.
Ukrainian officials said Saturday that Russia launched more than 270 drones over Ukraine overnight, killing at least five people.
A nighttime Russian drone strike on Odessa killed two people and wounded at least 11 others, according to the region’s head, Serhiy Lysak. Zelenskyy said more than 60 drones were involved in the “large-scale” attack on Odessa.
Russian night strikes on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine also killed two people and wounded two others when a drone hit an industrial facility, regional head Oleksandr Gandza said in a Telegram update. He did not say which industrial building it was.
Russia attacked industrial sites in the Poltava region of central Ukraine, killing one person overnight, regional officials said Saturday. Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state gas company, reported that one production facility experienced damage.
In Russia, a child was killed when a Ukrainian drone struck a private home in Russia’s western Yaroslavl region, local governor Mikhail Evgenev said early Saturday. According to Everev’s Telegram post, the child’s parents were hospitalised with serious injuries after the attack.
On Saturday, Russia’s defence ministry reported that they shot down 155 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the annexed Crimea peninsula overnight.
