US, Gulf states requesting Ukrainian interceptors to down Iranian drones
The United States and Gulf Arab states are in discussions with Ukraine to buy Ukrainian-made interceptor drones, a source in Ukraine's Presidential Office confirmed to ABC News.
Ukraine's interceptor drones are cheap and effective at downing Iran's one-way Shahed attack drones, which Tehran has used extensively to target U.S. assets in the Middle East throughout the first six days of the war in the Middle East.
The six U.S. service personnel who died in the opening hours of the war were killed by an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait.
"We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against 'shaheds' in the Middle East region," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement Thursday. "I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security. Ukraine helps partners who help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people."
President Donald Trump has said that the U.S. has an extensive stockpile of munitions, but questions have been raised both about the cost of using them against relatively cheap drones as well as the supply.
All Gulf governments are already in touch with Ukraine, either directly or via the U.S., about the potential purchase of Ukrainian interceptor drones, the Ukrainian official told ABC News.
Overnight, Zelenskyy alluded to the discussions, saying Ukraine "received signals from partners in the Middle East" following strikes on "civilians" by Iranian Shaheds.
Zelenskyy said those partners were "seeking our expertise" and that Ukraine was "open" to the request. The Ukrainian President also stated that such a request had already been made by "Europeans and from the United States."
"Requests have come to us to share our experience with partners in the Middle East", Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president is currently in talks with fellow leaders about the terms of possible supplies of interceptor drones, the source in Ukraine's Presidential Office said.
Those discussions are looking at details such as quantities and infrastructure. Ukraine's interceptors also require certain integration with radar systems, which could take time to set up.
The Pentagon declined to comment on this story, which was previously reported by the Financial Times.
Ukraine's interceptors fly at higher speeds than Iran's Shaheds and use cameras and AI to detect and track the Iranian-made attack drones. Then FPV (first person view) pilots fly them into the Shaheds, knocking them out of the sky before they can reach their targets.
In his statement on Wednesday night, Zelenskyy also alluded to reports that Gulf states have been using Patriot interceptor missiles to down Iranian drones. A Patriot interceptor costs millions of dollars, whereas Ukraine's interceptor drones cost a few thousand dollars each. An Iranian Shahed is estimated to cost around $30,000. The Ukrainian leader also underlined Ukraine's need for U.S.-made Patriot interceptors to down Russian ballistic missiles.
For more than a year, Ukraine has been fast-tracking development of interceptor drones and has been using them in combat scenarios to down Iranian-style drones, which Russia has used in large numbers to wreak havoc on Ukrainian cities and the country's energy infrastructure.
Asked whether Ukrainian teams had already been deployed to the Middle East to work with partners on the use of Ukrainian interceptors, Zelenskyy's office declined to comment.
Last October, Zelenskyy visited the White House and spoke alongside President Donald Trump, who suggested that Ukraine could sell its drones to the U.S. At the time, Ukraine was lobbying the U.S. to supply it with Tomahawk missiles.
In the October exchange, Trump acknowledged that Ukraine's drones were of high quality.
"They make a very good drone", Trump said in October.
ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
