Kyiv’s Drone Technology Gains Global Attention as Russia-Ukraine Talks Stall
KYIV — Ukraine’s hard-won expertise in countering Iranian Shahed drones has attracted attention from the United States and Middle Eastern nations, even as peace talks with Russia face delays due to the widening war in the region.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that multiple countries, including the United States, have approached Ukraine for help defending against the Iranian-made drones. He reported speaking in recent days with leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait about possible cooperation.
Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since launching its invasion more than four years ago, including a barrage of over 800 drones and decoys in a single night. Iran has responded to joint US-Israeli strikes by deploying the same type of weapons across the Middle East.
Any Ukrainian assistance would come with conditions, Zelenskyy said — it must not weaken Ukraine’s own defenses, and it should strengthen Kyiv’s diplomatic position in seeking an end to the Russian invasion.
“We help to defend from war those who help us, Ukraine, bring a just end to the war” with Russia, he said.
Later Thursday, Zelenskyy announced he had received a US request for support against drones in the Middle East and had ordered the provision of equipment and Ukrainian experts, without offering further details.
President Donald Trump, asked about the development in a Reuters interview Thursday, said, “Certainly I’ll take, you know, any assistance from any country.”
Battle-Tested Defenses
Ukraine has pioneered low-cost drone killers that can cost as little as $1,000, rewriting the air defense rule book and drawing notice from other nations.
European countries received a wake-up call last September when Poland scrambled multimillion-dollar military assets — including F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters — in response to airspace violations by cheap drones.
Ukrainian manufacturers have developed interceptor drones specifically designed to hunt and destroy Shaheds. The country’s rapidly expanding drone industry now produces excess capacity, and Zelenskyy announced earlier this year that Ukraine would begin exporting its battle-tested systems.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Thursday that talks between EU and Gulf ministers would examine how Ukraine’s experience could help countries counter Iranian drones.
Talks Delayed
The Iran war, now in its sixth day, has drawn international attention away from Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. Zelenskyy said the situation forced postponement of a new round of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for this week.
“Right now, because of the situation around Iran, there are not yet the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting,” he said. “But as soon as the security situation and the overall political context allow us to resume that trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done.”
Western governments and analysts estimate the Russia-Ukraine war has killed hundreds of thousands of people. Yearlong US-led peace efforts show no sign of stopping the fighting soon.
Prisoner Exchange
Zelenskyy thanked the United States for the return from Russia of 200 Ukrainian prisoners of war Thursday. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it received the same number of prisoners from Ukraine and thanked the US and UAE for mediating.
Such swaps have been among the few tangible results of the talks. Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media that 500 prisoners from each side would be exchanged between Thursday and Friday.
Connected Conflicts
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to drag out negotiations to continue the invasion while escaping further US sanctions. He urged the US administration to view the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict as linked.
“In reality, Russia and Iran are close allies that act in concert — Iran supplies weapons and Russia helps Iran develop its defense industry. These are interconnected conflicts,” Merezhko told The Associated Press.
Frontline Developments
Ukraine’s army has recently pushed back Russian forces at some points along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The Washington-based think tank said localized Ukrainian counterattacks liberated more territory than Ukrainian forces lost in the last two weeks of February, estimating recovered land at about 257 square kilometers since Jan. 1.
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