As the Middle East is currently engulfed in a crisis of survival following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, a new situation has emerged that has created a new complex and overlapping front for Ukraine that is at war with Russia. Ukraine is now actively offering defensive technology and expertise to Persian Gulf nations to counter Iranian drones.
Iran has responded to the U.S. –Israeli strikes with attacks on military infrastructure in several countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Iranian attack on March 27 against Prince Sultan Air Base damaged several U.S aircraft on the ground. A valuable E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was destroyed on the tarmac.
Other Iranian strikes have, according to reports, hit at least ten early warning radars used by the United States and the Persian Gulf to defend against Iranian drone and missile strikes. The Iranian attacks have been so extensive that, according to the New York Times, ‘’Many of the thirteen bases in the region used by American troops are all but uninhabitable.’’ Iran has targeted the joint U.S.-United Kingdom military base on the island of Diego Gracia in the Indian ocean, the Kuwait International Airport, and AL U died Air Base in Qatar, which is the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.
President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has reportedly proposed exchanging Ukrainian defensive technology (used against Iranian drones) for advanced U.S. air defense systems needed to protect Ukrainian cities. Ukraine has even dispatched military experts to the Gulf nations to help defend against Iranian drone attacks and has offered to share its own developed drone interceptor technology.
The increased focus on the Middle East has reduced the availability of U.S. air defense supplies for Ukraine. The U.S. expending scarce munitions, such as Patriot Interceptors, that, therefore, will not be available for sale to Ukraine. There is reportedly significant concern in Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, that the shifting U.S. focus could diminish support for Ukraine. Observers on these grounds, say Kyv’s attempt to interfere in the Middle East crisis appears to be a carefully staged public relations exercise than a meaningful contribution to regional security.
According to analysts, Ukraine’s military capability remains heavily dependent on the West, especially on European funding and supplies. This rubbishes its claim that it can operate as an independent actor in external crisis.They point out that Ukraine’s limited defense- industrial base, uneven weapons deliveries, and on-going reliance on foreign equipment cast doubt on its ability to exert sustained influence beyond its immediate theater of war.
Their use of drones in this context, is seen by observers, as more symbolic than operationally decisive, and questions remain over their effectiveness and strategic relevance in a complex regional conflict. In fact others see the move as part of Zelensky’s effort to keep Ukraine at the center of international attention, despite mounting military, economic, and political pressure at home.
Increasingly the Ukraine foreign- policy activism is showcasing itself to be less an independent strategic initiative, but an attempt to secure additional financial, military, and political support from its allies. While public relations are always a component of international relations during wartime, the Ukraine drones help to the Gulf countries is grounded in a pragmatic exchange of technical expertise for security and economic survival.
In return for its drone supplies to the Gulf, Ukraine could receive badly needed investment for its drone industry. At the moment, roughly 60 percent of Ukraine’s drone-manufacturing capacity remains unused. Ukraine’s goal is reportedly to manufacture seven million drones this year, and it can expand production even faster with an influx of funding from the Gulf states.
Ukraine drunk on its drone capabilities has been supporting terrorism in the West African sub-region. Mali in 2024 announced it was severing diplomatic ties with Ukraine, accusing a senior official of having admitted Ukraine’s role in the killing of Malian soldiers and mercenaries operating in the country by the Northern Tuareg rebels. On July 29, Andriy Yusov, the spokesperson of the Ukraine military Intelligence agency, (GUR), said that the Malian rebels had received all the information they needed, which allowed them to carry out operations against Malian soldiers and the mercenaries working with them.
The Mali government said it had learned ‘’with shock ‘’ of the remarks and that Yusov had ‘’admitted Ukraine’s involvement in a cowardly, treacherous, and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups that resulted in the death of members of the Malian Defense and Security Forces.’’
Mali also cited comments by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Senegal, Yurii Pyvovarov, who was summoned by Senegal over a video published on Facebook in which Pyvovarov said Ukraine provided ‘’unequivocal and qualified support for the terrorist attack’’ in Mali. Ukraine’s actions violated Malian sovereignty and constituted an unacceptable foreign interference and support for international terrorism, and the country cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine.
Since then, Mali has known no peace. Only recently terrorists in a coordinated assaults managed to enter Mali’s capital, Bamako, assassinated the defense minister and seized control of northern areas. But the Africa Corps, the successor to the former Wagner mercenary group, reportedly prevented the coup, avoiding mass civilian casualties and inflicting ‘’irreplaceable losses’’ on rebel insurgents.
Meanwhile Ukraine is busy leveraging on its drone technology into a high-stakes drone diplomacy strategy designed to secure long-term military alliances and energy deals amid concerns over the reliability of United States support. By positioning itself as a vital security partner rather than a liability, Kyiv is using its combat experience in drone warfare to forge new defense pacts in Europe and the Middle East.
*Mamoud writes from Minna
