Zelenskyy offers cutting-edge drone defense to Gulf allies as Ukraine seeks missile support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is turning battlefield innovation into bargaining power, offering its anti-drone systems to Middle Eastern allies, portion seeking much air-defense enactment arsenic the warfare with Russia drags into its 4th year.

Zelenskyy met Friday successful Abu Dhabi with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, wherever the 2 discussed an statement successful which Ukraine would supply its cutting-edge counter-drone exertion successful speech for ballistic rocket enactment and fiscal aid.

In a wide-ranging interrogation with Fox News pursuing the meeting, Zelenskyy elaborate however Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, namely its anti-Russian drone systems, are influencing defence partnerships worldwide.

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In a wide-ranging interrogation with Fox News pursuing the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy elaborate however Ukraine’s battlefield innovations are influencing defence partnerships worldwide. (Fox News)

"We have, for example, drone interceptors, we person [a] strategy of physics warfare and a batch of things — All these jointly enactment successful 1 system. This is what we person [that] cipher has," Zelenskyy told Fox News analogous Matt Finn successful Abu Dhabi.

Ukraine is present sharing elements of that strategy with astatine slightest 4 Persian Gulf nations — the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — arsenic they face increasing threats from Iran’s drone capabilities.

But Zelenskyy emphasized the concern indispensable beryllium reciprocal. Ukraine continues to look a "big deficit" of captious aerial defence weapons, peculiarly PAC-3 Patriot missiles utilized to intercept ballistic threats.

"We are acceptable to assistance Middle East countries with our expertise and with our knowledge, and we anticipation … that they tin assistance with anti-ballistic missiles," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine has already signed 10-year defence agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with a akin woody with the UAE expected soon, according to the AP.

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A plume of fume rises from the tract of a onslaught successful Tehran aboriginal connected March 28, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Zelenskyy besides warned that expanding U.S. subject absorption connected the Middle East — amid escalating tensions with Iran and the ongoing "Operation Epic Fury" — could dilatory the travel of weapons to Ukraine.

He claimed Russia is already strengthening Iran’s subject by sharing drone technology, including Shahed "kamikaze" drones, arsenic good arsenic battlefield tactics developed during the war.

"Russia volition stock each they cognize astir this warfare …  They’re already sharing with Iranians," Zelenskyy said. 

While helium stopped abbreviated of confirming rocket transfers, Zelenskyy suggested Moscow has a strategical involvement successful prolonging instability successful the Middle East to divert U.S. attraction distant from Ukraine.

"This is what they do," Zelenskyy said.

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine volition not cede territory successful the contested Donbas region, arguing it would weaken defenses, harm unit morale and displace tens of thousands of civilians.

"I deliberation their morale volition decrease," Zelenskyy said.

He besides urged the Trump medication not to suffer show of Ukraine portion addressing Middle East tensions.

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Destroyed homes aft a Russian drone onslaught connected March 28 successful Odesa, Ukraine.  (Viacheslav Onyshchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

More than 270 Russian drones struck Ukraine overnight Friday, leaving astatine slightest 5 radical dead, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, according to AP.

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"I anticipation that President Trump … volition find a mode to extremity this warfare with unit connected the Iranian regime, and I anticipation that besides they volition not hide astir … the warfare of Russia against Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.