US and Qatar want to buy Ukrainian drones to shoot down "shaheds," - Reuters
Drone Industry
The US and Qatar are negotiating with Ukraine on the purchase of interceptor drones to combat Iranian "Shaheds". The negotiations are still at early stage.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Reuters.
One Western diplomat told the publication that the Ukrainian delegation visited the Qatari capital of Doha this week, where it held talks with local officials on Ukraine's experience in countering drone attacks.
According to him, during the visit, the parties discussed the possibility of using Ukraine's experience in combating drones. In addition, the Ukrainian delegation also visited Abu Dhabi.
Britain supports negotiations
One of the agency's sources reported that the UK is supporting Ukraine in the early stages of negotiations with the Persian Gulf countries.
Some of the drones could potentially be produced as part of the joint Ukrainian-British Octopus project, which is developing interceptor drones.
At the same time, the Security Service of Ukraine has warned Ukrainian companies against selling weapons to Middle Eastern countries without Kyiv's permission. This is due to the need to control the export of military technology.
Reuters notes that the need for such systems arose amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. After the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, Tehran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at countries in the Persian Gulf.
Most of them were intercepted by US Patriot air defense systems, but the use of such missiles is very expensive.
What preceded it?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has received requests from Middle Eastern countries to share its experience in countering Iranian kamikaze drone attacks. In particular, such requests came from partners after drone attacks on civilian targets in the region.
Therefore, Ukraine can provide expert assistance to Middle Eastern countries in combating "Shahed" drones in exchange for missiles for Patriot air defense systems.
