Could Ukraine's drone expertise serve Gulf countries? | Inside Story
March 28, 2026
Al Jazeera English
Gulf countries have been bombarded by Iranian missiles and drones since the war began a month ago. They have used advanced air defence systems to counter the attacks. But interceptor missiles are costly and take time to manufacture. Ukraine, under near-daily attack from Russia, has spent four years perfecting interceptor drones that can be produced quickly and cheaply.
Some Gulf nations are asking Ukraine to share its expertise. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already signed defence agreements. If others reach similar deals, what could they offer Ukraine? And how beneficial are Ukrainian drones to Gulf countries under attack from Iran? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Dania Thafer—Executive Director of the Gulf International Forum, a think tank based in Washington, DC Oleksiy Melnyk—Co-Director of the Foreign Relations and International Security programmes at the Razumkov Centre Pavel Felgenhauer — Defence and Russian foreign policy analyst Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #GulfCrisis #IranAttacks #IranDrones #GulfSecurity #UkraineWar #UkrainianDrones #AirDefence #SaudiArabia #Qatar #MiddleEastConflict #RussiaUkraineWar #AlJazeeraEnglish
Al Jazeera English
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