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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday announced a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, as he offers his country's experience in fighting Iranian drones to Gulf countries now under fire.
Mr Zelenskyy met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday evening as he began a surprise visit to the Middle East. Saudi official media said they discussed the military escalation in the Middle East and the latest developments in Ukraine.
On Friday, Mr Zelenskyy said the Saudi and Ukrainian defence ministries had signed documents on an "important arrangement" covering investment, contracts and technological co-operation.
"We are ready to share our expertise and systems with Saudi Arabia and to work together to strengthen the protection of lives," Mr Zelenskyy said. "Saudi Arabia also has capabilities that are of interest to Ukraine, and this co-operation can be mutually beneficial."
Ukraine has vast experience in shooting down the Iran-designed Shaheds, which are now plaguing the Gulf, having spent years defending the country from Russian attacks with drones acquired from Tehran.
Military experts sent to the Gulf have already "shared extensive expertise and demonstrated how we in Ukraine protect our lives and infrastructure," Mr Zelenskyy said. His office said he condemned Iran's attacks on the Gulf.
It said the Ukrainian and Saudi leaders discussed Russia's links to the Iranian regime. Mr Zelenskyy is seeking to build support for his war effort against Russia as it stretches into a fifth year.
He was greeted in Jeddah by Prince Saud bin Mishaal, Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, and said he was planning to hold “important meetings”.
“We appreciate the support and support those who are willing to work with us for security,” he said on X.
Mr Zelenskyy is set to visit other countries in the region, Bloomberg reported.
In an earlier post on X, Mr Zelenskyy said the US and several regional states – including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait – had contacted his country for assistance with drone defence.
“We’re already working with some of them and our expert teams are already on the ground, assessing the situation and sharing invaluable experience,” he said.
“Because no matter how many Patriots, Thaads, or other air-defence systems are in the Middle East, that alone is not enough for fully effective air defence.”
Mr Zelenskyy said he is discussing future deliveries of “certain equipment” that Ukraine has.
“We want Middle Eastern countries to give us the opportunity to strengthen ourselves as well,” he said. “They have some air-defence missiles that we lack. We would like to reach agreements on this.”
Ukraine has sent a team of more than 200 military specialists to Middle Eastern countries to help them defend against drones fired by Iran amid its war with the US and Israel.
This month, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine could supply 1,000 interceptor drones a day to Gulf states under fire from Iran. The Sting interceptor, at $2,100, is a cheap anti-drone weapon that Ukraine has developed since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Sting drones would allow countries to fend off Iran’s daily Shahed-136 attacks without using more expensive, high-end interceptor missiles.
Mr Zelenskyy's trip comes as Kyiv is struggling to secure new commitments from Nato allies to buy US-made weapons. A crucial $104 billion EU loan for Ukraine has also been put in limbo by a Hungarian veto, even as Russia continues to launch hundreds of drones and missiles into Ukraine daily.
On Wednesday in Washington, a group of Ukrainian military personnel spoke to reporters about the conflict.
One front-line lieutenant said any transfers to the Gulf would not affect Ukrainian defences at home.
“We can explain how to build,” he said. “We can, even on our production lines, we can build at least two times more than we need at the moment.”
The officer said it was a relatively simple process to send Ukrainian troops to other countries to teach partners how to use interceptor drones.
“We are not sending the pilots to operate against Iranian Shaheds over the Gulf for a year," he said. "We send in sergeants and people who teach others in a month how to do it."
