Amidst the increasing attacks by Iranian drones in the Gulf region, Ukraine is taking advantage of its wartime experience to sign defense contracts worth billions of USD with Middle Eastern countries, according to SCMP.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed that the country "has certainly changed the geopolitical situation" in the region through 10-year defense agreements with countries that are suffering from UAV and missile attacks from Iran.
In recent days, Mr. Zelensky has made a series of visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar to promote Kiev's air defense capabilities. Ukraine has developed many solutions to deal with UAV attacks, notably the low-cost but highly effective "drone-on-drone" interception technology.
In the context of the risk of slowing down the supply of Western weapons to Kiev, Mr. Zelensky is seeking to turn the war into an opportunity. Ukraine quickly proposed agreements with US allies in the Gulf region, and sent more than 200 military experts to the region to support deployment.
Surely no one else can support it in this way, with such expertise," Zelensky said, emphasizing that Ukraine possesses real-world combat experience that few countries have.
According to Kiev air force data, in recent months Ukraine has shot down more than 80% of the missiles and UAVs attacking the country.
However, the details of the agreements have not been fully announced. Mr. Zelensky said that Ukraine has signed a 10-year agreement with Saudi Arabia, has just signed a similar agreement with Qatar and is expected to sign with the UAE. The content includes co-producing UAVs in both Ukraine and the Gulf region, and sharing expertise.
It is not yet clear what Ukraine will receive back, or whether these agreements will go beyond the framework of arms-for-money exchange. However, Mr. Zelensky affirmed that the value of the contracts "calculated in billions of USD, not millions of USD", brings benefits to exporters and the Ukrainian economy.
Ukrainian UAV manufacturers say demand from the Middle East has increased sharply since the conflict broke out in the region. A UAV unit commander said that both the US, Europe and the Middle East are not ready for drone warfare.
Besides defense, Kiev is also aiming for energy agreements. After more than 4 years of war, the Ukrainian energy system has been severely damaged, making the country vulnerable to electricity, gas and fuel. "We need long-term agreements with energy-producing countries, that is what we are negotiating," Zelensky said.
