Zelenskyy holds air defence talks in Saudi Arabia as Ukraine helps counter Iranian drones

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during in Jeddah.

Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia on an unannounced visit as Ukrainian military experts have been helping the kingdom take down Iranian drones.

Ukraine and Saudi Arabia are set to sign a security cooperation agreement that will particularly focus on the “the protection of the skies”, a senior official told AFP.

Since Iran began attacking countries across the Persian Gulf in the ongoing war, several countries have reached out to Ukraine for help in tackling Iranian drones.

Zelensky has said that more than 200 Ukrainian experts have been deployed to several West Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia, since Iran began attacking them in retaliation to American and Israeli offensive.

Over the past four years, Ukraine has emerged as a world leader in anti-drone air defence systems. As Russia has massively relied on Iranian drones and underlying technology, Ukraine has developed a particular specialisation in tackling Iranian drones that Arab countries are now roping in.

Official statements, however, did not refer to any deal. While Zelenskyy referred to important meetings without going into the specifics, the Saudi Press Agency said that Zelenskyy and the Saudi Crown Prince reviewed the bilateral relationship and discussed regional and international developments, particularly the military escalation in West Asia, and the war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy has previously said that Ukrainian officials were helping Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan take down Iranian drones.

Overall, Ukraine had received requests from 11 countries in West Asia and the West, Zelenskyy said last week.

Ukraine has used its expertise in aerial warfare, particularly with drones, to reach out West Asian countries in the midst of wars and deepen diplomatic and security relationships. It is also stressing that conflicts in Europe and West Asia are linked because Iran and Russia have a mutually beneficial arrangement where they help each other in their wars.