Ukraine has sent counter-drone personnel to the Middle East to help protect civilian infrastructure and US forces from Iranian aerial attacks, with President Volodymyr Zelensky hoping the move will unlock a deal to strengthen Kyiv's own missile defenses.
The deployment, announced by Zelensky himself, places Ukrainian teams alongside American forces in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, according to an analysis by security columnist Colby Badhwar published by the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), as reported by "Hvylya".
While presented as a gesture of solidarity, the calculation behind it is straightforward. Zelensky is pushing for "some sort of drone/missile swap arrangement" that would improve Ukraine's stocks of ballistic missile interceptors, Badhwar writes. Ukraine's ability to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles "depends entirely on limited supplies of interceptors made in the US and France" - supplies that have never been adequate for the scale of Russia's attacks.
The offer reflects a broader strategic pivot. Since the Trump administration returned to power, Zelensky has shifted from appeals for security assistance to pitching mutual defense cooperation. The logic is transactional: Ukraine has what the Gulf states desperately need right now - proven counter-drone expertise built over four years of war - and wants interceptors in return.
The timing works in Kyiv's favor. Gulf states have received what Badhwar calls "an unwelcome lesson in modern warfare" since Iran began its drone and missile barrages. The Pentagon readily concedes the US has lessons to learn from Ukraine's experience, and implementing those lessons remains a work in progress.
In February alone, Ukraine faced an average of 191 missile and drone attacks daily - the worst month of the four-year conflict - yet consistently intercepted around 90% of incoming drones.
Read more: Gulf States Face an Impossible Choice After Iran War, Ignatius Warns.