Ukraine sends drone experts to Jordan to help US bases amid Iran conflict

2026-03-09 - 12:12

Ukraine has deployed interceptor drones and a team of unmanned aerial vehicle experts to Jordan to bolster defenses at US military facilities, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in an interview with The New York Times. The United States formally requested assistance on Thursday, March 5, and the Ukrainian team departed the following day, with arrival in the Middle East expected imminently. "We responded immediately. I said: Yes, of course, we will send our experts," Zelenskyy stated during a train journey from eastern Ukraine to Kyiv. The move underscores Kyiv's growing role as a provider of specialized counter-drone capabilities developed during four years of full-scale war with Russia. Multiple Gulf nations seek Ukrainian drone defense expertise According to Zelenskyy, in the initial days following the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, his office received urgent calls from leaders across the region requesting assistance. "In the first days after the start of the US-Israeli war in Iran, we fielded calls from leaders in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia looking for help," he said. The widespread interest reflects Gulf states' urgent need to counter Iranian drone threats without depleting expensive Patriot missile inventories. Ukrainian interceptor drones cost only a few thousand dollars each, compared to approximately $4 million per PAC-3 missile used in Patriot systems . Zelenskyy links assistance to Russian ceasefire pressure The Ukrainian leader has strategically linked his country's willingness to provide extensive drone defense support to progress in ending Russia's war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy urged Gulf leaders to leverage their strong economic relationships with Moscow to press for a temporary cessation of hostilities. "I would suggest the following: leaders of the Middle East have great relations with Russians. They can ask Russians to implement a month-long ceasefire," he told Bloomberg earlier this month . Once a truce is secured, "we will send our best operators of drone interceptors to the Middle East countries," he added, emphasizing that Ukrainian specialists possess unique practical experience destroying Iranian-designed Shahed drones that now threaten both European and Middle Eastern skies. Cost-effective defense solutions and potential exchanges Ukraine's expertise in countering low-cost attack drones has become increasingly valuable as Gulf nations face sustained barrages requiring cost-effective solutions. Beyond the Jordan deployment, Kyiv plans to send additional experts to advise Middle Eastern countries on alternative defense measures that do not rely exclusively on expensive interceptor missiles . Zelenskyy has also proposed exchanging Ukrainian interceptor drones for more powerful systems needed to counter Russian ballistic missiles, potentially creating a mutually beneficial defense technology relationship. For Türkiye, which maintains balanced relations with both Ukraine and Russia while developing its own advanced drone capabilities, these developments highlight the growing intersection between European and Middle Eastern security architectures as conflicts increasingly overlap.