Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reportedly offered Saudi Arabia assistance in intercepting Iranian-designed 'Shahed' drones, which have been launched against several Gulf countries embroiled in the US-Israeli war on Iran. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Zelenskyy claimed he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Saturday about “countering threats from the Iranian regime” – a reference to Iran's attacks on neighboring nations hosting US assets since the conflict escalated a week ago.
The Ukrainian leader purportedly stated, “Ukrainians have been fighting against 'shahed' drones for years now, and everyone recognises that no other country in the world has this kind of experience. We are ready to help.” During Russia's four-year war on Ukraine, Ukraine's domestic arms industry was forced to innovate, focusing on building low-cost drones to counter Russian attacks using imported Iranian Shahed-136s and homemade copies known as Geran.
Now positioned as one of the world's leading producers of interceptors, Ukraine is allegedly offering expertise to the US and Gulf countries that have come under attack over the past week. These countries have been rapidly depleting stocks of expensive Patriot missiles to shoot down the significantly cheaper Shaheds. An Iranian-designed Shahed drone costs roughly $30,000, while a single PAC-3 interceptor missile for the US-made Patriot air defence system costs millions. Kyiv has developed low-cost interceptor drones priced at approximately $1,000 to $2,000, moving the systems from prototype to mass production within months.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would help the US by providing specialists to counter the drones. He also claimed to have spoken with the leaders of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. In offering this help, Zelenskyy is reportedly hoping to increase Ukraine's leverage with allies and obtain the expensive defence systems it needs to defend itself against Russia's ballistic missiles, highlighting the ongoing challenges in the conflict.
US President Donald Trump has said he would accept assistance from any country when asked about Zelenskyy's offer of support to help defend against Iranian drones. This move underscores Ukraine's attempt to capitalize on its military experience to bolster international standing, even as it faces persistent threats from Russia, raising questions about the effectiveness and geopolitical implications of such cooperation.
Source: www.aljazeera.com