Ukraine Sends Drone Defense Specialists to Middle East to Share Expertise on Taking Down Drones; Netanyahu Requests Call With Zelensky

Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Ukraine deployed teams of drone-defense specialists to Middle Eastern countries to help counter Iranian drone attacks.

Getting into it: While speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Zelensky said Ukraine had sent three specialist teams to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and a US military base in Jordan to share its expertise in defending against Iranian drones, stressing the mission was technical rather than combat-related. “This is not about being involved in operations. We are not at war with Iran,” he said, explaining that the teams were sent to conduct assessments and demonstrate how Ukrainian counter-drone defenses function.

In the Donetsk region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on the security situation in the region. The commander of the Khortytsia operational-strategic grouping of troops Yuriy Sodol reported on the operational situation in the area of responsibility, in particular on the defense of Chasiv Yar. He also informed about the primary needs of the military units.

Zelensky explained that Ukraine’s experience fighting Russia’s drone campaign has given it unique expertise that other countries now want to learn from. Russia, which has repeatedly used Iranian-designed Shahed drones against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure during the war, forced Ukraine to develop effective countermeasures. Those methods include inexpensive interceptor drones, electronic jamming systems and tactics designed to neutralize large numbers of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles. This has drawn interest from Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office requesting a conversation with Zelensky to discuss potential collaboration on interceptor drone technology as Israel faces waves of Iranian drone attacks.

Zelensky indicated that Ukraine expects compensation for sharing that expertise, noting that his government is interested in both technological cooperation and financial support from partners in the region.

Despite this, Zelensky’s offer to share expertise has been met with skepticism in the US, where President Trump said the United States does not need Ukraine’s assistance. He added that “the last person we need help from is Zelensky.”