Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is supporting the US in fighting Iranian Shahed drones.
“We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against ‘shaheds’ in the Middle East region,” Zelenskyy said in a Thursday X post.
“I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security,” he added. “Ukraine helps partners who help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people.”
Shahed drones are low-cost, long-range attack weapons developed by Iran. They have significantly changed the fight in Ukraine, as the Russian military has built and deployed a large fleet of the weapons.
Zelenskyy said in January that Russia is building about 500 Shahed drones a day, and that the interceptor drones Ukraine builds are not sufficient to counter the onslaught.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelenskyy said he had received “signals from partners in the Middle East” after strikes by Shahed drones on civilians in their countries. He said the partners were seeking Ukraine’s expertise with the drones, and said, “If their representatives come, we will provide the expertise.”
He also added in a separate post that he believes the Russian war engine was supplying electronic parts to Iran to build Shahed drones.
Zelenskyy’s comments come less than a week after the war in Iran broke out, with the US and Israel launching hundreds of strikes in Iran on Saturday and killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has since retaliated with strikes on US embassies and military bases in the Gulf region.
President Donald Trump has hinted at a long-drawn war, saying on Monday that the US has a “virtually unlimited supply” of weapons and the war could last longer than five weeks.
Meanwhile, the State Department has urged US citizens in the Middle East to evacuate from the area. US embassies in the region are offering evacuation assistance, as commercial flights remain disrupted.
Press representatives for the US Department of War did not respond to a request for comment. Press representatives for Ukraine’s defense ministry also did not respond to questions about the support it provided to the US.
