Ukraine has sent three fully staffed teams to Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia – Zelenskyy
Three professional Ukrainian teams have headed to the Middle East. They will work in different countries across the region in efforts to counter Iranian drones. In return for this assistance, Kyiv expects to receive missiles for Patriot air defense systems.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this at a briefing, Censor.NET reports.
What is known?
According to him, the first countries to which Ukrainian experts have already been sent are Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. There, they will help with security issues and counter-drone efforts.
- Zelenskyy said that in exchange for assistance in the Middle East, Ukraine expects to receive missiles for air defense systems. In particular, this concerns the scarce PAC-2 missiles and the more advanced PAC-3 missiles used in Patriot systems.
The head of state stressed that Kyiv will raise this issue in talks with Middle Eastern countries that requested drone-related assistance.
The president also confirmed earlier reports that Ukraine had offered the US a deal on drone interceptors as far back as last year. This would have allowed Kyiv to finance its own production. According to him, that deal is now relevant for the United States.
Ukrainian experience in countering Shaheds is recognized by all US experts
"Even countries that tried to use interceptor drones on their own have become convinced that without Ukrainian specialists and technologies, it works much worse," the president said.
He said the effectiveness of the system depends not only on the interceptors themselves, but also on the overall infrastructure: operator training, software, radar coverage, and other technical components.
