Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needled the Trump administration for not agreeing to a drone-based mutual agreement months ago, now that American troops are coming under fire in the Middle East and are seeking Kyiv’s expertise.
The Ukraine-Russia war has been at the forefront of drone proliferation and modernization efforts for war fighting, which is also an area that the United States is behind on, and the Ukrainians have sought for months to exchange their newfound knowledge and technology for more advanced U.S. air defense systems that could be used to intercept more high-powered missiles that Russia also frequently deploys against them.
“We wanted to sign a big drone production deal with the United States, but we needed the approval from the White House,” Zelensky said on social media on Thursday. “It was about different kinds of drones and air defense. They operate as one system and can defend against hundreds or thousands of Iranian ‘shaheds’ and missiles.
“We didn’t have the opportunity to sign this document yet,” he said. “I hope that maybe American friends will be closer to this decision now, especially after such challenges as we see in the Middle East.”
The Ukrainian leader has said he deployed drone teams to the Middle East to aid American forces. He has said nearly a dozen countries have requested their assistance, given their experiences over the last couple of years have provided them with greater expertise on how to defend against these attacks than any other country.
The U.S.’s interest in using Ukraine’s first-hand expertise with drone technology predates the conflict in the region, though it appears as though there’s been little movement since both leaders discussed it publicly months ago. Back in August, Zelensky reportedly offered to sell the U.S. their battle-tested counter-UAV technology but the administration did not express an interest until it had begun the war against Iran, according to Axios.
Trump has repeatedly claimed Zelensky has no “cards” to play in negotiations with Russia and urged him to make a deal to end the conflict, but those dynamics changed once U.S. service members were facing a similar threat across the Middle East.
The Trump administration, in their effort to broker a ceasefire agreement, has pushed Ukraine harder than the previous administration did to get them to agree to a proposal even if it meant making significant concessions. The president has, at times, accused Zelensky of being the primary impediment to peace even though Russian leader Vladimir Putin has the ability to end the war unilaterally any time he wants.
UKRAINE LOOKS TO PROVE ITS VALUE TO AMERICA WITH DRONE ASSISTANCE
An Iranian one-way attack drone killed six American service members in Kuwait during Iran’s opening retaliation. The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that roughly 140 U.S. service members have been injured during the war, the vast majority of whom suffered minor wounds.