Zelensky visits Saudi Arabia after offering Ukraine’s drone expertise

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Vitaliy ShevchenkoBBC Monitoring

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Reuters

Ukraine’s President Zelensky is touting Ukraine’s expertise in drone technology

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, after saying earlier that Ukrainian drones could help improve security in the Gulf region.

“Important meetings are scheduled. We appreciate the support of those who are ready to work with us to ensure security, and we support them too”, he said in a message on social media.

Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky offered Ukraine’s expertise in drone technology as a way of improving security across the globe, particularly in the Gulf.

“This matters because energy security - and the cost of living, particularly in Europe - depends on their oil, gas and other resources, and stable global markets,” he said in a video message to the Joint Expeditionary Force, a security alliance which held a summit meeting in Helsinki.

“The key is not only producing new weapons - especially drones - not just technology, but also real experience in using it, and integrating it with radars, aviation, and other air defence systems. We have this experience,” he said.

Zelensky said that in exchange he would be looking for assistance in defending Ukraine against the ongoing Russian invasion.

“We would like Middle Eastern states to also give us an opportunity to strengthen ourselves. They have certain air defence missiles of which we don’t have enough. That’s what we’d like to reach a deal on,” he said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde.

The BBC has spoken to several Ukrainian drone companies who say they have been approached by Gulf states for help, but have not yet been given the green light by the government in Kyiv.

Kvertus, a Ukrainian company that makes anti-drone electronic warfare systems, said it had been approached by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

“We are waiting for approval to export any products. We understand that we need to coordinate with our government because it’s not only about business, about selling drones, it’s about politics,” the company’s chief executive officer Yaroslav Filimonov told the BBC.

Volodymyr Zinovsky, the CEO of Ukrainian manufacturer TAF Industries, said he was happy to wait for the government’s permission to export because Ukraine’s security is at stake.

“All of us are working to protect Ukraine, to stay with Ukraine and to keep Ukraine alive. This is about survival. And if we need to wait a few months, we will,” he told the BBC.

Zinovsky said his company had been approached by representatives of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, but told them to discuss this with the Ukrainian government.

Media reports suggest that the US is now considering diverting arms meant for Ukraine to the Gulf because of the war with Iran, making a drone deal even more crucial for Ukraine.

The Washington Post quoted sources as saying that the Pentagon is considering diverting weapons intended for Ukraine to the Middle East as the war in Iran depletes some of the US military’s most critical munitions.

Asked about the report on Thursday, President Trump said the US often redirects weapons, observing: “We do that all the time. Sometimes we take from one, and we use for another.”

Gulf crisis

Saudi Arabia

Ukraine