(KYIV) – Ukraine has sent interceptor drones and specialist teams to help defend United States military bases in the Middle East, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Iranian drone attacks increase in the region.
The assistance followed a request from Washington. According to a report by The New York Times, citing an interview with Zelenskyy, the United States asked Kyiv for help last Thursday.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine responded quickly. A team of Ukrainian drone experts was dispatched to Jordan on Friday together with interceptor drones designed to shoot down hostile unmanned aircraft.
The move reflects Ukraine’s growing role in drone defence technology. Ukrainian systems developed during the war with Russia have achieved interception rates of around 90 percent against Iranian designed Shahed attack drones, according to Ukrainian officials.
Kyiv has also sent another group of specialists to other countries in the Middle East to evaluate their defence systems and advise on protection against Iranian drones.
Ukrainian authorities say they have received 11 requests for assistance in countering Iranian drones from countries neighbouring Iran, as well as from the United States and European partners.
The request from Washington comes amid concerns about the rapid consumption of Patriot air defence missiles. Reports indicate that more than 800 Patriot missiles were used during the first days of hostilities in the Middle East, while about 620 were delivered to allied militaries during the whole of 2025.
European officials say Ukraine’s growing drone industry could help fill this gap. Speaking on Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Brussels was preparing an initiative to connect Ukraine’s drone defence manufacturers with Middle Eastern countries seeking protection.
“In response to the need for drone interceptors, we are preparing a new initiative to become a matchmaker between Ukraine’s industrial outputs and the military needs of countries in the Middle East,” Kallas said.
“And this is what we call solidarity in action. The Middle East tends to lose greatly from any drawn out war. So do we in Europe and so does the world.”
Meanwhile Ukraine is also dealing with tensions with Hungary over the detention of bank personnel and funds belonging to Ukraine’s state owned Oschadbank.
The National Bank of Ukraine has appealed to several European institutions to investigate the detention by Hungarian authorities of seven Oschadbank employees who were transporting $82 million worth of cash and gold bars from Austria to Ukraine last week.
The shipment, valued at about $82 million or roughly €75 million, was travelling through Hungary as part of what Kyiv says was a legitimate transfer conducted in accordance with international law.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the employees were questioned in Russian by armed individuals carrying machine guns during the detention.
Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has since submitted a draft bill that would allow the country’s tax authorities to withhold the funds while the government conducts an investigation.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would continue supporting Ukraine and deliver a major €90 billion loan.
“Europe will always stand with Ukraine no matter what is happening elsewhere,” von der Leyen said.
“We all want this horror and bloodshed to end. No one wants more peace than the people of Ukraine.”
“But the war must end in a way that does not sow the seeds for future conflicts.”
“I can assure you that we will deliver on our commitments because our credibility and more importantly our security is at stake. For us it is paramount and crystal clear. We will deliver this €90 billion loan.”
Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to cause civilian casualties.
Over the past day at least one person was killed and 12 others wounded in Russian attacks across the country.
In the city of Kharkiv, rescue workers completed operations at an apartment building hit by a Russian ballistic missile on Saturday. The strike killed 10 people, including two children.
At least one additional person was wounded in further attacks in the Kharkiv region during the past day, Ukrainian authorities said.
In the Donetsk region, one person was killed and three more were wounded in the frontline city of Avdiivka following Russian strikes.
Heavy shelling was also reported in the Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kherson regions, where eight more people were wounded, according to regional officials.
