Ukraine offers drone know-how for Gulf cash and US air defenses

KYIV — Ukrainian officials are in talks with rich Gulf countries, peddling their country’s hard-won anti-drone expertise against Iranian attacks in exchange for crucial cash for Kyiv’s defense industry.

Polite American officials are also talking to Ukrainians on sharing their drone tech — something that may at least temporarily boost Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leverage with the White House.

Both negotiations could offer Ukraine desperately needed help: money at a time when the EU’s promised €90 billion loan has stalled thanks to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s veto, and American interceptors for Ukraine’s Patriot air defense systems to knock down Russian ballistic missiles.

Both tracks of discussions were confirmed to POLITICO by two senior Ukrainian officials familiar with the matter, however no agreement has been finalized yet.

“We do see strong interest in Ukrainian counterattacking drones from a very wide range of countries, including the United States. That is understandable: Ukraine has built unique, battle-proven solutions on how to detect, track and counter this type of threat at scale, in real conditions,” a Ukrainian defense industry representative told POLITICO on condition of anonymity.

They added that any export decision requires “government-to-government coordination and must be aligned with security considerations, export controls, and broader strategic priorities.”

Zelenskyy posted on X on Thursday: “We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against ‘shaheds’ in the Middle East region. I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security. Ukraine helps partners who help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people. Glory to Ukraine!”

Ukraine has become a world leader in drone warfare over the last four years since Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

From the start of Russia’s attack, Iran has supplied Moscow with many thousands of its Shahed drones, which are packed with explosives and crash into Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. Russia now produces its own Shaheds and has dramatically upgraded their capabilities as part of the tech arms race with Ukraine.

Now Iranian Shaheds are pummelling American bases and Gulf cities, airport and oil and gas facilities.

In the first days of the Iran war, America and its Gulf allies have reportedly been using air defense missiles — which can cost several million dollars each — to shoot down Tehran’s drones that can be made for only a few tens of thousands of dollars.

Facing the same threat and limited help from its allies, Ukraine developed expertise in shooting down drones with anti-aircraft guns, truck-mounted machine guns, cheap missiles as well as “interceptor” drones — fast-flying craft that can catch and destroy Shaheds. 

“Ukraine did not have that many missiles since the start of the war,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. | Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images

However, Ukraine still relies on its allies, and especially the U.S., for systems like Patriots to protect against ballistic missiles. Kyiv has complained that shortages of interceptor missiles left Ukrainian cities vulnerable during this year’s freezing winter.

The U.S. and Gulf countries have been burning through the PAC-2 and advanced PAC-3 missiles used by Patriots in such massive quantities that it’s leaving Kyiv dumbfounded.

“Ukraine did not have that many missiles since the start of the war,” the Ukrainian president said at a press briefing on Thursday.

European officials warned this week that the biggest risk of the Iran war for Ukraine will be a shortage of PAC-3 missiles.

But by offering his drone expertise against the Iran threat, Zelenskyy may now be able to persuade the White House to sell more of these weapons to Ukraine.

A person close to Trump’s national security team acknowledged that Zelenskyy has “marginal short-term leverage” with the U.S. requesting its help on drone defense, and that it’s a “smart play” for a leader whom Trump and his administration feel lacked much leverage in the ongoing U.S.-led negotiations about ending the Russia-Ukraine war. 

But the person said Zelenskyy will need to keep his requests manageable. “He wants more rockets for Patriot systems, so maybe he can get [the U.S.] to expedite some requests,” the person added.

Trump himself told POLITICO this week that Zelenskyy still had no “cards” to play. But in a separate interview with Reuters he suggested he would accept “any assistance from any country.” 

Ukraine’s defense industry is wildly overproductive, but needs to be because of the war with Russia. The industry grew from annual capacity of $1 billion to $50 billion, and is able to make much more than the cash-strapped government is able to buy. That opens the door to foreign arms sales — something Kyiv has been reluctant to permit during a full-blown war.

That’s why an initiative was established urging Ukraine’s partners to pay for weapons produced in Ukraine, and Gulf countries may now be ready to join this program.