Securing Gulf Cooperation
Ukraine signed a 10-year defense agreement with Qatar on Saturday, seeking to leverage its battlefield expertise and secure new partnerships amid rising regional tensions. The agreement includes collaboration in technological fields, development of joint investments and the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and unmanned aerial systems, according to the Qatari defense ministry. This deal follows a similar pact with Saudi Arabia earlier this week, with a similar agreement with the United Arab Emirates expected to be finalized shortly.
Leveraging Drone Expertise
Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing drones to assist Gulf nations. Ukraine has become one of the world's leading producers of battlefield-proven drone interceptors, as Russia has been attacking Kyiv with hundreds of thousands of Iranian drones since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 201 anti-drone military experts had been dispatched to the Middle East earlier this month.
Countering Iranian Threats
Iran has launched attacks in the Gulf region. Tehran insists it is targeting only US assets in retaliation for the US-Israeli war on Iran, but Gulf nations say civilians are being put at risk. Many of the drones used by Russia are based on the design of the Iranian Shahed drones, which are currently targeting Gulf states. Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani met with Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Rustem Umerov, and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Hnatov to discuss security developments.
Ukraine Under Attack
The Gulf deals came as at least five more people were killed in Russian drone strikes on Odesa, Poltava and Kryvyi Rih on Saturday. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 273 drones during the night, 252 of which were downed or electronically jammed. Zelenskyy said 60 of the drones were launched against the southern port city of Odesa.
Refuting Disinformation
The Ukrainian foreign ministry denied Iran's claims that a depot housing Ukrainian anti-drone systems had been destroyed in the UAE. A spokesman said Tehran "often conducts such disinformation operations."
Seeking Funding
Ukraine is offering a cheap way of countering Iranian drones, according to Al Jazeera's Dmitry Medvedenko, reporting from Doha. He said that Ukraine has been downing Shahed drones since September 2023, and the Gulf has been using Patriot and THAAD missiles primarily so far to down Iranian missiles and drones. Each Patriot missile costs almost $4m, while Ukraine is offering its expertise in downing drones for about $2,000 each. Medvedenko said Ukraine is primarily interested in funding, as the US-Israeli war on Iran is costing so many Patriot missiles.
For example, Al Jazeera's Dmitry Medvedenko reported that Ukraine has been downing Iranian Shahed drones since September 2023, highlighting its expertise in this area.
The sources also report that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the Russian drone strikes as pure terror against ordinary civilian life with no military purpose.