Ukraine agrees defence cooperation with UAE, Qatar as Zelensky visits Gulf

KYIV/CAIRO: Ukraine on Saturday agreed to cooperate on defence with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travelled to both countries amid escalating tensions in the region.

Qatar’s defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Doha and Kyiv have signed a defence cooperation agreement which includes the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and unmanned aerial systems.

“We are talking about a 10-year partnership. We have already signed the agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we have just signed a similar 10-year agreement with Qatar,” Zelenskiy told reporters during an online briefing.

“We will also sign a 10-year agreement with the UAE. It will happen within the next several days.”

Zelenskiy had earlier been to the UAE and met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the two countries agreed to cooperate in the fields of security and defence.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has killed more than 2,000 people, upended global markets and effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz.

Ukraine has offered its air-defence expertise and drone technology to countries in the region.

Zelenskiy hopes to draw support from the Gulf nations in Ukraine’s war against Russia, which is now in its fifth year, as Western military aid faces new uncertainty and Kyiv scrambles for cash to cover its budget deficit and fund domestic weapon production.

More than 200 Ukrainian military and security experts have been dispatched to advise Middle East countries on how to intercept drone attacks that have wreaked havoc on energy infrastructure across the region.

Zelenskiy said that during his visits, he sought to build strategic relationships with the Gulf region and raise funds to invest in weapons production in Ukraine.