Western media reported that Saudi Aramco wants to buy Ukrainian interceptor drones: "Wild Hornets" denied this
Drone Industry
Saudi Aramco is in talks with two Ukrainian companies to buy interceptor drones to protect against Iranian attacks on oil fields.
As reported by Censor.NET, sources told The Wall Street Journal this.
What is known
The Saudi company is said to want to buy Ukrainian drones before the country’s government and regional competitors, including Qatar.
Sources told the newspaper that Saudi Aramco is already in talks with Ukrainian companies SkyFall and Wild Hornets.
In addition, the Saudi Arabian government is holding talks with Ukraine on the purchase of interceptor drones.
"Wild Hornets" deny
"Wild Hornets," the company that manufactures the highly successful STING drone interceptor, reports that it is not negotiating exports with any country or company in the Persian Gulf.
"We do receive daily inquiries from representatives of Middle Eastern and European Union countries regarding the possible export of STING drones.
However, our efforts are currently focused on cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Main Intelligence Directorate," they commented on the WSJ article.
The company noted that the state leadership is negotiating with other countries on training operators and supplying drones.
"We are ready, if necessary, to join such assistance as part of diplomatic initiatives. However, our company is not conducting direct negotiations.
We remain interested in entering international markets, but we will take active steps after ensuring the needs of Ukraine's defense forces are met, obtaining permission to export weapons from Ukraine, and developing appropriate rules in accordance with Ukrainian law," they concluded.
Background
- Earlier, Zelenskyy said that three professional Ukrainian teams had travelled to the Middle East. They will work in different countries in the region to combat Iranian drones. In exchange for this assistance, Kyiv hopes to receive missiles for Patriot air defence systems.
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According to Axios, Ukraine last year offered the United States protection against Shaheds, but the proposal was rejected.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed hope that Ukraine and the United States will still sign an agreement on drone production.
