Ukraine Only Country Willing to Send Troops to Middle East

(KYIV) – Ukraine has deployed more than 200 drone specialists to the Middle East to assist Gulf states in countering Iranian made Shahed drone threats, while seeking to expand defence cooperation and attract investment into its military industry.

“The only country who is willing to help Trump is Ukraine. More than 200 Ukrainian drone experts deployed to the Middle East to counter Shahed threats,” according to military analysts.

“Our teams are already in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and are heading to Kuwait,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UK Parliament.

According to the statement, 201 Ukrainian personnel are currently deployed across the Middle East and Gulf region, with a further 34 ready for deployment. Officials stressed that this number represents a small portion of Ukraine’s overall unmanned systems capability.

“There’s over 50,000 soldiers in the unmanned systems forces. These are drone operators. So sparing 230, it’s a great goodwill gesture for Ukraine to the Gulf States, but this isn’t going to prevent Ukraine’s effectiveness at shooting down Russian Shaheds or their fight on the front lines,” the report noted.

Zelensky addressed concerns about production capacity, stating that Ukraine can sustain both domestic defence needs and international support.

“First, we are capable of producing at least 2,000 effective and combat proven interceptor drones every day. We can produce more. It depends on investment,” he said.

“We need about 1,000 interceptor drones a day for defending against Russian Shaheds and we can supply at least another thousand a day to our allies.”

The deployment is also aimed at strengthening economic and strategic ties with Gulf countries, which possess significant financial resources and face growing security threats from drone attacks.

“This is what Zelensky is really talking about. The Saudis, the Emiratis, the Qataris, the Kuwaitis, they have money. And if they are willing to invest in Ukrainian drone companies, they can scale up production,” the report said.

Analysts say such cooperation could benefit all parties by enhancing regional defence capabilities while boosting Ukraine’s rapidly expanding defence industry.

“This benefits Ukraine. This protects the Gulf States. It forms new dialogue and relationships. This is an excellent opportunity for Ukraine’s defence industry to attract Middle Eastern investment,” Ukrainian analyst Jake Broe said.

The move comes as confidence in US security guarantees appears uncertain, with concerns that Washington may not be able to provide sufficient protection against evolving drone threats.

“Those countries have the money and they want protection. At the moment, the United States and Donald Trump cannot fully provide it, but Ukraine can,” the Jake’s report concluded.