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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Saturday that Ukraine fears losing U.S. support for its war against Russia as Washington becomes preoccupied with the Middle East and said Kyiv is seeking money and technology in exchange for sharing its drone defense expertise with countries in the region.
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"We don't want to lose the Americans" while they are "without a doubt currently preoccupied with the Middle East," Zelenskyy told journalists, including Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporters, on Saturday, in comments under embargo until Sunday.
"We strongly hope that as a result of the Middle East, the United States will not turn its back on the question of the war in Ukraine," he said, adding that Ukraine is "showing our willingness to help the United States and their allies in the Middle East" by offering to share its drone expertise.
Zelenskyy noted that each of the three teams sent to the Middle East consists of dozens of people, who will conduct expert assessments and demonstrate how drone defenses should operate.
He added that specialists had been sent to Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, while another official said specialists had also been to a U.S. military base in Jordan.
"I spoke with representatives of 25 media outlets—both Ukrainian and international. We discussed our internal situation in Ukraine, some political issues, our positions on the front line and in diplomacy, information from our intelligence, the work of Ukrainian experts on drone defense in the Middle East, as well as relations with key partners. Thank you for the conversation!" Zelenskyy stated it in its statement on X.
Gulf states have expanded large quantities of air defense missiles to counter Iran's attack drones and have sought Ukraine's expertise in downing them.
Kyiv downs Russian drones every night using an array of weaponry, including cheaper, smaller drones and jamming equipment.
"Almost a dozen countries across the world have sought help from Ukraine on how to counter such attacks," Zelenskyy said.
He said what Ukraine will receive in return still needs to be discussed. "Honestly, for us today, both the technology and the funding are important," Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy was careful to frame Ukraine's involvement as purely defensive and technical.
"This is not about being involved in operations. We are not at war with Iran. This is about protection and a thorough, complete assessment on our part of how to counter the Shaheds," he said, referring to Shahed drones developed by Iran.
Zelenskyy also said he was unsure whether Ukraine and the U.S. would sign a deal on drone cooperation, which Kyiv has sought to agree on for months.
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