Ukraine sends teams to help Gulf counter Iranian drones: What to know
Ukraine has significant experience downing Iran’s Shahed drones, leading Gulf states to express interest in Ukrainian expertise and hardware.
Teams of Ukrainian experts have arrived in the Gulf to help defend against Iran’s drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as defense manufacturers in the Eastern European country prepare to increase exports to the region.
Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Wednesday that Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council secretary, Rustem Umerov, arrived in the United Arab Emirates to discuss cooperation with local officials. He will then travel to Saudi Arabia and a number of other unspecified countries. In total, three groups of Ukrainian experts, military personnel and engineers traveled to the region, according to the post.
Zelenskyy told reporters on Tuesday that the teams would travel to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to share expertise on downing Iranian drones. A day earlier, he said that 11 countries had asked Ukraine for help countering Iranian drones, without naming them.
The Ukrainian leader has held calls with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain since the war began on Feb. 28. He specifically discussed ways to “counter” Iranian drone and missile strikes with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, according to a Ukrainian readout.
