Ukraine sends experts to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE amid Iranian drone strikes
Kyiv has dispatched three teams of military experts to the Middle East, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 10 amid Iran's ongoing drone strikes in the region.
"This week, all three (teams) will be in three different countries... Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia," Zelensky said in a briefing with journalists.
Countries across the Middle East have come under fire from Iranian Shahed drones and missiles in the wake of Israeli-U.S. strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Ukraine has signalled readiness to share its extensive experience with countering the low-cost kamikaze drones, which Russia launches in daily attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Previously, Zelensky said that Ukraine sent a team of experts and drone interceptors to help defend U.S. bases in Jordan at Washington's request.
In exchange for assistance in countering drones, Kyiv hopes to acquire PAC-2 and PAC-3 air defense missiles, which are in short supply, Zelensky told journalists. Used in Patriot air defense systems, these missiles help Ukraine intercept Russian ballistic threats.
While Ukraine offered drone technology to Washington last year, the Trump administration rejected it at the time, Axios reported.
"Everyone understands that the only real experience in shooting down massive Shahed attacks comes from Ukraine today," Zelensky said.
Even countries that "somehow obtained" drone interceptors have realized these will not be effective without Ukrainian experience and technology, he added.
The president also noted that the only remaining obstacle for Ukraine building its own anti-ballistic missile defenses is licenses from the U.S.
