Published on •Updated
Qatar and Ukraine signed a defence agreement on Saturday during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Doha, the latest stop on his tour of Gulf countries to discuss Kyiv’s assistance in countering Iranian drones and establishing new partnerships in the region.
Zelenskyy was in Doha following visits to Saudi Arabia on Thursday and the United Arab Emirates on Friday. Earlier on Saturday, he said Ukraine and the UAE had also agreed to cooperate on defence.
Ukrainian defence specialists have been helping to defend countries of the region, as Iran continues its aerial campaign against its neighbours in the Gulf which began after the US and Israel commenced military operations against Tehran a month ago.
Ukraine’s president earlier confirmed that Qatar, together with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, sent official requests regarding possible cooperation with Ukraine over its drone-countering expertise.
Ukraine has sent more than 200 of its own drone-countering experts to the region, saying some 30 more were heading to Jordan and Kuwait, Zelenskyy told reporters via WhatsApp chat last week.
On Friday Zelenskyy visited the UAE, his office confirmed, without specifying the exact location.
After the meeting with the president of the UAE, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Zelenskyy said for Ukraine “it is a matter of principle: terror must not prevail anywhere in the world.”
“Protection must be sufficient everywhere. That is why we are open to joint work that, in a strategic perspective, will certainly strengthen our peoples and the protection of life in our countries.”
Ukraine’s president repeatedly said that what Ukraine needs first and foremost is air defence from Russia’s ballistic missiles.
In exchange Kyiv is ready to share its expertise and experience in countering Iranian drones, which have been attacking Ukraine in hundreds for over four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
On Tuesday Russia launched almost 1,000 drones against Ukraine within 24 hours, making it one of Moscow’s largest aerial attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
“Ukraine has relevant expertise in this area – our cities, unfortunately, have been under daily attack for four years of full-scale war. Ukrainians have developed an appropriate protection system that delivers a significant interception rate against enemy drones and missiles.”
Zelenskyy’s visit to the Gulf region comes at a moment of strength for Kyiv, as Ukraine’s air defences achieved an impressive 97% interception rate against Russian drones in the latest Moscow attack.
As in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Zelenskyy also met Ukrainian drone specialists deployed to the UAE on Friday, saying they had been working on the ground there “for several weeks” now.
“There is already a clear understanding of how the protection of airspace and critical infrastructure in the Emirates can be strengthened by integrating Ukrainian experience. This concerns comprehensive solutions that have proven their effectiveness.”
It is unclear if any defence agreements have been signed with the UAE. Kyiv did announce a defence cooperation document signed with Saudi Arabia earlier this week during Zelenskyy’s visit to Jeddah.
Qatar is of significant importance to Ukraine. The country has established itself as one of the main mediators on humanitarian aspects amid Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine.
Qatar helped facilitate the return of dozens of Ukrainian children forcefully deported by Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Qatar also mediated the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
