Ukraine enters the Middle East with drones: what the agreements of Kyiv with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar mean

Ukraine has begun establishing a long-term presence in the Middle Eastern arms market. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv has already signed 10-year agreements for drone supplies with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, and overall expects to sign at least ten export contracts for specific samples of Ukrainian weapons. According to him, this concerns not only the Middle East but also the Caucasus.

For the Israeli audience, this news is important for several reasons. Firstly, it concerns a region where the security of maritime routes, the protection of energy infrastructure, and control over airspace have strategic significance. Secondly, Ukraine is effectively offering not just the sale of finished products, but a model of military-technological partnership with localization of production and joint development of solutions.

What exactly did Zelensky say

According to a published summary of an interview with a telethon, the Ukrainian side has already agreed on a long-term format of cooperation with three Gulf states. Zelensky specifically emphasized that these agreements include joint production: the construction of production lines both in Ukraine and in other countries, partner investments in new technologies, and pre-fixed financing of corresponding volumes a year in advance with a tie-in for several years.

This is an important nuance. Ukraine is selling not only drones as a product but also its combat experience, engineering adaptability, and ability to quickly refine systems for specific theaters of war. After more than two years of full-scale war, this has become one of the most sought-after parts of Ukraine’s defense offering.

Why this is important specifically for the Middle East

For the Gulf countries, the issue of drones has long gone beyond reconnaissance or targeted strikes. The region lives under constant threat to shipping, oil infrastructure, ports, and logistics. Therefore, interest in Ukrainian developments seems logical: they have been tested in real war, quickly scale, and can solve both strike and security tasks.

In this sense, the news goes far beyond a regular export announcement. It shows that Ukraine is trying to establish itself in a new geography of influence, where the US, Turkey, Israel, Iran, and partially China previously dominated. For Jerusalem, this is also a signal: another notable player with real modern warfare experience is emerging in the Middle Eastern arms market.

Magura V5, Sea Baby, and a hint at the Strait of Hormuz

Zelensky specifically noted that the so-called drone agreement includes maritime drones Magura V5 and Sea Baby. He even suggested that such systems could potentially be seen, for example, in the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, the President of Ukraine stated that Kyiv is capable of assisting both in protection issues and in convoying ships and unblocking this critically important transport artery.

This is where the topic takes on special significance for Israel. The Strait of Hormuz is not an abstract point on the map but one of the key nodes of global energy trade and regional security. Any technology that can enhance the protection of shipping, deter sabotage, and protect convoys automatically becomes a factor in big politics.

NANews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency in this context draws attention not only to the fact of Ukrainian exports but also to the political meaning of what is happening: Kyiv is increasingly turning military developments into an external tool of influence, and Middle Eastern countries, judging by these statements, are ready to pay for this influence and invest in it for years to come.

What this could mean for Israel

For Israel, there is no direct sensation here, but there is an important shift. If Ukrainian drones and maritime platforms indeed begin to enter the security infrastructure of Gulf states, the balance of technological ties in the region will become more complex. This concerns both competition in the market and future military cooperations and political contacts around the protection of maritime routes.

Moreover, the very fact of interest from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar shows that Ukraine is already perceived not only as a country conducting a defensive war but also as a provider of solutions for other crisis regions. And this is already a completely different level of international status.

In conclusion

As of April 19, 2026, Zelensky publicly speaks of three already concluded 10-year agreements with Middle Eastern states, plans to increase the number of export contracts to at least ten, and the inclusion of not only aerial but also maritime unmanned systems in these packages.

For Israel, this story is important not because it is simply about selling drones. What is more important is that Ukraine is beginning to enter the Middle Eastern security architecture as a practical supplier of military technologies, and the Strait of Hormuz in this logic sounds not as rhetoric but as a possible direction for the future application of Ukrainian systems.