(AFP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Saturday that his nation and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to cooperate on defence amid Iran’s drone strikes throughout the Gulf, earlier than heading to regional neighbour Qatar.
Zelensky has launched into the beforehand unannounced tour throughout the Gulf, visiting Saudi Arabia earlier this week, because the area faces Iranian drones launched by Tehran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.
Kyiv has sought to leverage its experience in downing Russian drones to assist Gulf nations and has deployed anti-drone consultants to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
After talks in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, the place Zelensky introduced a defence settlement with Riyadh, he held talks within the UAE with Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“We agreed to cooperate within the discipline of safety and defence. Our groups will finalise the small print,” Zelensky stated on social media.
“For all regular states, you will need to guarantee stability and defend lives amid at present’s threats. Ukraine has related experience on this space,” he stated.
Additionally Saturday, Zelensky stated on social media he had “arrived in Qatar. Actual safety is constructed on partnership — we worth everybody and stay open to supporting all those that are able to work collectively for this objective.”
The go to was confirmed by the Gulf nation’s state information company.
Ukraine touts its anti-drone defences as the most effective on the earth.
It has proposed swapping its interceptors for vastly dearer air-defence missiles that Gulf international locations are utilizing to down Iranian drones. Kyiv says it wants extra of them to fend off near-daily Russian missile assaults.
“Safety should be adequate in every single place. That’s the reason we’re open to joint work that, in a strategic perspective, will definitely strengthen our peoples and the safety of life in our international locations,” Zelensky stated on Saturday.
Within the UAE, Zelensky met with Ukrainian anti-drone consultants, who “have been working right here to assist in defending lives”.
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