Ukraine deploys drone intercept teams are they now active in 5 countries in the middle East

Ukraine has sent specialized military teams to five Middle Eastern countries to assist with drone interception and provide air-defense expertise, according to officials who say several major agreements are expected to be finalized.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had confirmed that teams have been deployed to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan—all of which have faced aerial attacks amid ongoing conflict involving Iran.

“While local air-defense units focus on ballistic missiles, Ukrainian specialists are concentrating on intercepting waves of Iran’s Shahed drones… I believe no one has experience comparable to ours,” Zelensky said, noting that 228 Ukrainian specialists are currently operating in the region.

“We’re engaging with Middle Eastern partners—at the leadership level, technically, and with defense ministries. In general, we are working toward serious arrangements and agreements,” he added.

Ukraine is also providing international partners and defense companies with access to real-world combat data to help train artificial intelligence models for autonomous drone systems.

Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council, visited all five countries this week, as on Friday, he stated that steps for long-term security cooperation had been outlined with each nation.

Kyiv reports that nearly a dozen countries have sought Ukraine’s expertise in defending against low-cost kamikaze drones—a tactic Iran has used against Gulf neighbors and Russia has employed extensively since 2022, as in response, Ukraine has developed advanced interceptor drones of its own.

Although Arab Gulf states possess sophisticated US-made air-defense systems, they face shortages of interceptor missiles, which are far more expensive than Iran’s Shahed drones.

Zelensky has indicated that Ukraine expects financial and technological support in exchange for its assistance in the Middle East.

He added that the United States was among the countries that sought Ukraine’s help and that Ukrainian specialists had been deployed to a US military base in Jordan.

From his part, US President Donald Trump, whose relationship with Zelensky has been strained, denied that Washington requires Ukrainian assistance in downing drones.

Zelensky said Friday that Ukrainian and US teams would meet in the United States over the weekend to discuss a comprehensive drone agreement and work on bilateral documents.

While he didn’t specify the documents, Ukraine is seeking post-war security guarantees from Washington and aims to finalize a prosperity plan for economic recovery.

Ukraine has spent the past year working to secure a drone-cooperation deal with the United States valued at up to $50 billion.

The proposed agreement would involve Ukraine sharing innovative drone technologies developed during the war in exchange for US investment.

According to Zelensky, “First and foremost, it includes naval drones and our long-range drones that have already been proven in the war”.

“It’s important that Ukraine’s global significance in ensuring security and the quality of Ukrainian security expertise in safeguarding lives are recognized by all partners,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

He also noted that Ukraine is already co-producing drones with Germany, Britain, Denmark, and the Netherlands, and is beginning similar cooperation with Norway.