Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Gulf states in succession and agreed on security and defense cooperation, including defense against Iranian drones.
Iran carried out an airstrike on Ukraine's anti-drone facilities deployed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), pressuring Ukraine, which is trying to transfer Iranian drone defense technology to the Gulf region.
On the 28th (local time), President Zelensky said on his X (formerly Twitter) account that he visited the UAE, met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and agreed to cooperate in security and defense. It was not specified when the two leaders met.
Zelensky said that before the summit he met Ukrainian nationals living in the UAE and also held meetings with UAE security and defense officials. He said, "There is a clear understanding of how we can strengthen the protection of UAE airspace and critical infrastructure by integrating Ukraine's experience."
He added that over the past four years under attack, Ukraine "has built an adequate defense system capable of intercepting enemy drones and missiles at a high rate," and emphasized, "This systematic approach and integration of experience is what we want to offer our partners."
The Qatari government also said that Zelensky visited on the same day and that Qatar and Ukraine signed a defense agreement that includes cooperation to counter missile and drone attacks. Qatar said the agreement includes expert exchanges on missile and drone response systems, promoting joint investment, and technical cooperation.
Zelensky earlier visited Saudi Arabia on the 26th and signed an agreement for cooperation in air defense. Ukraine said on the 28th of last month that after Israel and the United States attacked Iran, and as Gulf states in the Middle East came under Iranian drone attacks, it deployed Ukrainian drone interception units to five countries—UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which commands Iran's armed forces, said it "destroyed a storage site for Ukraine's anti-drone system in Dubai, where 21 Ukrainian soldiers were stationed to support U.S. forces, in a strike by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force and Navy in a joint operation."