Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said that his country and Saudi Arabia have reached an “important arrangement” on defence cooperation during his visit to the Gulf nation.
In a statement on the US social media company X, Zelenskyy said the agreement between the defence ministries of both countries was signed ahead of his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“It lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. It also strengthens Ukraine’s international role as a security donor,” he said.
Regarding his meeting with the Saudi crown prince, he stated that they discussed the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region as a whole, developments in fuel markets, and potential energy cooperation, among other matters.
The Ukrainian president arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, where he said “important meetings” have been scheduled.
‘Building system’
Earlier on Friday, Zelenskyy met with a group of Ukrainian military experts who have been in the Gulf nation for the past week to help counter Iranian drones.
The deal signed between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia "is not only about interceptors as such, but about building a system, integrating it with other air defence components, Ukrainian experience in its use, AI, and all the other elements of data analysis needed to counter Shaheds and other drones," an official spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity.
Kiev has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations, which are being attacked with the same kind of Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia fires on Ukraine.
Kiev has been using a mix of cheap drone interceptors, electronic jamming tools and anti-aircraft guns to down Russian drones fired at its cities on a nightly basis for four years.
Ukraine has proposed swapping its interceptors for vastly more expensive air-defence missiles that Gulf countries are using to down Iranian drones.
Ukraine says it needs more of them to fend off Russian missile attacks.
