Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the statement made by former US President Donald Trump, who claimed that the United States does not need Ukraine’s assistance in countering drones, particularly in the context of operations against Iran.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Ukraine’s Position on International Cooperation Against Drones
During a press conference in Paris on March 13, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is actively cooperating with countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, to counter Iranian drones. According to him, Kyiv is receiving signals of cooperation from various states and is processing these proposals, expanding the geography of collaboration in the fight against drones.
“There, it is for the assistance of the United States of America. We are grateful to the Americans for the continued opportunities to purchase through the PURL program, HIMARS, and some missiles, you know, for Patriot. We are working on this. Rhetoric is rhetoric. The main thing is that we know what we are doing and that’s it,” Zelensky said.
Context of Trump’s Statements and Ukraine’s Role in the Fight Against Drones
Earlier, Donald Trump stated in an interview with Fox News that the US does not need Ukraine’s assistance to defend against drones in its confrontation with Iran. He emphasized that American drone technology is the best in the world and that the US possesses significant knowledge in this area.
At the same time, on March 9, Volodymyr Zelensky reported that after the start of a joint operation between the US and Israel against Iran, Ukraine received 11 requests from various countries for the supply of drones capable of repelling drone attacks. Among those interested are countries bordering Iran, European nations, as well as the United States itself.
On March 4, President Zelensky also stated that Ukrainian specialists are ready to assist Middle Eastern countries in defending against Iranian attacks, and relevant negotiations are already underway.
The Financial Times reported that the US and one of the Gulf countries are considering the possibility of acquiring Ukrainian interceptor drones to counter Iranian “Shaheds.” It was noted that Ukraine is offering regional states cooperation in exchange for missiles for air defense systems.