Nearly 7 months ago, Ukrainian officials offered to sell the US drone interception technology manufactured by Iran. The Ukrainian side even prepared a PowerPoint presentation to prove that this technology could protect US forces and allies in the event of a conflict in the Middle East.
The US President's administration at that time rejected Ukraine's proposal. However, the US reversed its decision last week after drone attacks from Iran occurred more than expected.
According to 2 US officials revealed to Axios, refusing Ukraine's request is considered one of the biggest tactical mistakes of the administration since the Iran bombing campaign began on February 28.
Iran's cheap Shahed drone is believed to be related to the deaths of 7 US soldiers, and at the same time caused the US and its allies in the region to spend millions of USD to intercept.
If there is a tactical mistake before the conflict with Iran breaks out, then this is the mistake," a US official said.
Ukraine is currently considered the country with the most experience in the world in combating Shahed drones. In the conflict in Ukraine, Russia bought, copied and mass-produced this type of drone, renaming it Geran for use. Ukraine has developed low-cost interceptor drones, along with other sensor and air defense systems to shoot down Shahed-style drones.
At a closed-door meeting at the White House on August 18, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed to provide these interceptor drones to US President Donald Trump.
According to a US official, Mr. Zelensky wants to approve this proposal to strengthen relations with Washington and express gratitude for US support. In the PowerPoint presentation, the Ukrainian side also presented a map of the Middle East with a warning considered "prophetic": "Iran is improving the design of the Shahed one-way attack drone".
The plan also proposes the establishment of "dronet combat centers" in: Turkey, Jordan, and the Persian Gulf countries. These are all places with US military bases, to cope with the threat from Iran and its allied forces.
We want to build "drones walls", along with radar and other necessary systems" - a Ukrainian official said.
According to the Ukrainian side, at a meeting in August last year, Mr. Trump asked his team to study the proposal but then no specific action was taken.
According to the New York Times, by March 5, the US had officially requested Ukraine to support drone defense technology.
On March 6, the US announced plans to deploy its own interceptor drone system named Merops amid Middle Eastern allies complaining about drone attacks.
A US official shared with the country's media that the reaction to Iranian drones so far is "disappointing". Another official admitted that Ukrainian drone technology could have been useful if deployed earlier, but emphasized that the US's combat effectiveness in the region is still "remarkable".
An Iranian Shahed drone is said to cost 20,000 - 50,000 USD depending on the version. Meanwhile, Ukrainian interceptor drones are even cheaper.
