“We reacted immediately and deployed our experts,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview published by The New York Times on 9/3.

Zelensky added that the team of counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) experts departed on 6/3, one day after Ukraine received a request for assistance from the US. They expect to arrive in the Middle East soon. Another Ukrainian expert team will also travel to the Middle East to help countries intercept Iranian UAVs, avoiding the continuous firing of costly Patriot missiles.

The White House did not respond to questions about whether the US had requested Ukraine's assistance.

Kyiv previously expressed readiness to assist Washington and its allies in countering Tehran's Shahed-series suicide UAVs, similar to the Geran-2 aircraft Russia has used to attack Ukraine in recent years.

Experts view this as Ukraine's effort to gain favor with the US, especially amid ongoing tensions. President Donald Trump reiterated on 5/3 that he considers President Zelensky “a bigger impediment to a peace deal than Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Ukraine also appears to want to support Middle Eastern countries to gain diplomatic backing for a Russian ceasefire. “Some regional countries have close ties with Russia. That is why they can engage in dialogue, and Russia will stop. In this case, we can certainly help the Middle East defend itself,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader affirmed that since the conflict erupted in the Middle East, he and his team have received calls for assistance from leaders of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Countries in the Middle East. *Graphic: Guardian*

The conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran risks cutting off weapon aid to Ukraine. Ukraine has proposed exchanging its drone interceptors for stronger systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles.

Patriot system interceptor missiles are scarce. President Zelensky and European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius estimate that about 800 Patriot missiles were fired in the early days of the Middle East conflict, while manufacturer Lockheed Martin produced only 620 in all of 2025.

Dmytro Lytvyn, an advisor to Zelensky, stated that Kyiv has only received about 600 missiles since it began operating the Patriot system in 5/2023.

Ukrainian soldiers use anti-aircraft artillery to counter Russian UAVs in Kharkov in 6/2025. *Photo: Reuters*

The US and its allies and partners in the Middle East primarily use the Patriot air defense system with PAC-3 missiles, each costing over 4 million USD. Experts worry that PAC-3 missile stockpiles in the Middle East could dangerously deplete if Iran maintains high-intensity attacks.

Bloomberg last week cited informed sources saying the US would struggle to transfer enough Patriot ammunition to the Middle East to sustain operations for 4-5 weeks, as President Donald Trump estimated. This raises the risk of some batteries becoming "empty", with no combat ammunition left.

By Nguyen Tien (According to Reuters, AFP, and AP)