The first group of Ukrainian military experts, who will help Persian Gulf countries counter Iranian drone attacks, will arrive in the Middle East this week. Ukrainian specialists will assess the situation on the ground and help counter unmanned threats.
This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 8 during a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in Kyiv, Suspilne reports.
Responding to a question about whether this involves only the transfer of interceptor drones or also the dispatch of Ukrainian specialists, the head of state noted that many details are still being discussed.
“You know what resources we lack, and we understand what resources the Gulf countries lack. So we are talking about this track as well. It is too early to talk about other details. I think that next week, when the experts are on site, they will look, they will help, because they are going there with the ability to help, and then we will move forward, move further,” Zelenskyy said.
The president also stressed that many different air defense systems are already in use in the Middle East, including American Patriot systems, but this has proven insufficient during recent attacks.
“Ukraine has expertise and experience. All countries recognize, by the way, that this is the greatest experience today, and we have the appropriate production facilities, we must share all this experience with our close friends and partners in Europe,” he said.
In a comment to TSN, Zelenskyy clarified that several groups of Ukrainian experts will travel to the Middle East, with the first group leaving on Monday, March 9. According to him, the Persian Gulf countries are also showing considerable interest in Ukrainian interceptor drones and want to purchase them.
“And we are ready, in principle, to produce them. We are ready to produce the volume that is not used by our own forces. It is, in principle, quite large,” the president said.
Earlier, Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine is considering providing Middle Eastern countries with expertise on countering Shahed-type strike drones. On March 5, he confirmed that Kyiv had received a request from the US for assistance in defending against Iranian kamikaze drones, which Iran is using to attack Gulf countries. At that time, the president instructed to “provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists.”