Zelenskyy offers Saudi Arabia’s MBS help countering Iranian drones

Ukraine’s president seeks leverage with low-cost interceptors, as the US and Gulf nations burn through stocks of Patriot missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has offered Saudi Arabia his help in intercepting Iranian Shahed drones, which have been launched on several Gulf countries caught up in the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Zelenskyy said on X that he spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Saturday about “countering threats from the Iranian regime” – a reference to Iran’s attacks on neighbouring nations hosting US assets since the war broke out a week ago.

“Ukrainians have been fighting against ‘shahed’ drones for years now, and everyone recognises that no other country in the world has this kind of experience. We are ready to help,” said the Ukrainian leader.

During the course of Russia’s four-year war on Ukraine, Ukraine’s domestic arms industry was forced to innovate, focusing on building low-cost drones to counter Russian attacks with imported Iranian Shahed-136s and homemade copies known as the Geran.

Now one of the world’s leading producers of interceptors, Ukraine is offering expertise to the US and Gulf countries coming under attack over the past week. Countries have been burning through stocks of expensive Patriot missiles to shoot down the significantly cheaper Shaheds.

An Iranian-designed Shahed drone costs roughly $30,000, while a single PAC-3 interceptor missile for the US-made Patriot air defence system costs millions. Kyiv has developed low-cost interceptor drones priced at roughly $1,000 to $2,000, moving the systems from prototype to mass production within months.

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would help the US by providing specialists to counter the drones. He also said he had spoken with the leaders of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

In offering help, Zelenskyy is hoping to increase Ukraine’s leverage with allies and obtain the expensive defence systems it needs to defend itself against Russia’s ballistic missiles.

US President Donald Trump has said he would accept assistance from any country when asked about Zelenskyy’s offer of support to help defend against Iranian drones.