Ukraine announces ‘mutually beneficial’ defence deal with Saudi Arabia 

Ukraine says it has signed a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia as Gulf countries continue to come under Iranian attack amid the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in the kingdom on Thursday, said on X that an “important arrangement” had been made ahead of a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“It lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment … Saudi Arabia also has capabilities that are of interest to Ukraine, and this cooperation can be mutually beneficial,” Zelenskyy posted on Friday.

Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the defence pact.

Riyadh has intercepted hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles from Iran since the US and Israel first struck Tehran on February 28. At least six missiles were intercepted on Friday, the Saudi defence ministry said.

Kyiv, which has long battled Russian drones, was quick to signal willingness to partner with Gulf countries after Iran began launching attacks on Gulf nations. Tehran insists it is targeting US assets in the region, but the assaults have upset relations as Gulf nations say civilians are being put at risk. So far, 25 people have died in Gulf countries, two as recently as Thursday in the United Arab Emirates.

Ukraine has become a major producer of cheap but efficient interceptor drones to counter Moscow’s waves of drone attacks that have intensified since late 2024.

“This winter alone, Russia launched over 19,000 drones into Ukraine, just to give some perspective on how much experience they do have in shooting down drones,” said Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine, reporting from Kyiv.

“We spoke to the air force, for example, which said that an increasing number of objects being shut down are shut down with interceptor drones. So there is a growing experience from Ukraine, which is probably one of the global leaders when it comes to drones, and that’s because they’ve been able to react and respond in real time to troubleshoot this technology,” she said.

On March 18, Zelenskyy said 201 anti-drone experts had been deployed to the Middle East to assist in the defence against Iranian attacks.

Yurii Cherevashenko, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Defence Cover Forces, told Al Jazeera the drones face unique challenges in the Middle East, such as sandstorms. But successful interception ultimately boils down to the pilot’s skills, he said.

In one of Russia’s largest wartime aerial attacks on Ukraine, it launched 948 drones within 24 hours on Tuesday, killing two people.