US asks Ukraine for assistance in shooting down Iranian Shahed drones in Middle East
US President Donald Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a press conference following talks at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 28, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)
KYIV, Ukraine — The United States and several Middle Eastern allies are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in defending against Iran’s Shahed drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
Zelenskyy said multiple countries — including the United States — have contacted Ukraine for assistance in countering the Iranian-made drones. In recent days, he has discussed potential cooperation with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
Russia has launched tens of thousands of Shahed drones at Ukraine since invading the country more than four years ago. In its largest nighttime assault, Russia launched a swarm of more than 800 drones and decoys. Iran has also used the same type of drones in attacks across the Middle East following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would only provide help if doing so does not weaken its own defenses and if the cooperation supports Kyiv’s diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.
“We help defend from war those who help Ukraine bring a just end to the war with Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
Later Thursday, Zelenskyy said the United States had formally requested support to defend against the drones in the Middle East. He said he authorized the transfer of equipment and Ukrainian experts, though he did not provide additional details.
“Ukraine helps partners who help our security and the protection of our people’s lives,” he wrote on social media.
President Donald Trump, speaking in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, said the United States would welcome support.
“Certainly I’ll take any assistance from any country,” Trump said.
Ukraine’s drone defenses attract global attention
Ukraine has developed relatively inexpensive technology to counter drones, with some systems costing as little as $1,000. The innovations have changed how countries think about air defense.
The growing threat from low-cost drones became clear last September when Poland scrambled high-end military assets — including F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters — after cheap drones entered its airspace.
Ukrainian companies have also created low-cost interceptor drones designed specifically to track and destroy Shahed drones. With Ukraine’s drone industry rapidly expanding, manufacturers are now producing more systems than the country needs for its own forces.
Earlier this year, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would begin exporting some of its battle-tested drone defense technologies.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said before a virtual meeting of EU and Gulf foreign ministers Thursday that discussions would include how Ukraine’s experience could help countries defend against Iranian drones.
Middle East conflict affects Russia-Ukraine diplomacy
The ongoing war involving Iran — now in its sixth day — has shifted global attention away from Europe’s largest conflict since World War II and delayed a new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that had been planned for this week, Zelenskyy said.
Western governments and analysts estimate the Russia-Ukraine war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, and there are few signs that U.S.-led peace efforts will end the conflict soon.
“Right now, because of the situation around Iran, there are not yet the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting,” Zelenskyy said. “But as soon as the security situation and the overall political context allow us to resume that diplomatic work, it will happen.”
Zelenskyy also thanked the United States for helping secure the return of 200 Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia on Thursday. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it received the same number of prisoners from Ukraine and thanked the United States and the United Arab Emirates for helping mediate the exchange.
Prisoner swaps have been one of the few concrete outcomes from the negotiations. Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media that a total of 500 prisoners from each side would be exchanged between Thursday and Friday.
Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to prolong negotiations while continuing the invasion and avoiding additional U.S. sanctions.
He urged the U.S. government to view the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as connected.
“Russia and Iran are close allies that act together — Iran supplies weapons and Russia helps Iran develop its defense industry. These conflicts are interconnected,” Merezhko told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military has recently pushed back Russian forces at several points along the roughly 1,250-kilometre (750-mile) front line, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The Washington-based research group said localized Ukrainian counterattacks regained more territory than Russia captured during the final two weeks of February. It estimated Ukrainian forces have retaken about 257 square kilometres (100 square miles) of land since Jan. 1.
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