Ukraine’s push to sell its battle-tested anti-drone know-how to Gulf states could bring Kyiv badly needed funding and, potentially, access to air defense systems it has long sought, James Batchik of the Atlantic Council said on TVP World. Speaking to TVP World, Batchik, an associate director at the Atlantic Council, said Ukraine’s new defense arrangements with Gulf countries point to a broader shift in modern warfare, where states under drone threat are looking for cheaper, more sustainable ways to defend themselves than firing high-end missiles at low-cost aerial weapons. A wartime export with strategic value Ukraine has signed defense cooperation agreements with Gulf states as the Middle East conflict widens and Iranian drone attacks remain a serious regional concern. For Kyiv, the move is about more than diplomacy. It is also about turning wartime experience into an export asset. “For Ukraine, the deal opens up Ukraine's defense industrial sector to potentially have exports to the Gulf states, which would increase funds for Ukraine,” Batchik said. He added that Kyiv’s bigger goal is clear: securing advanced missile defense systems from regional partners that already possess them. He argued that Ukraine is uniquely positioned to offer this kind of support. After more than four years of full-scale war with Russia, Kyiv has become, in his words, “the most prepared country in the world” when it comes to defending against mass drone attacks. Batchik said the agreements also reflect a wider lesson from both Ukraine and the Middle East: using expensive interceptor missiles against cheap drones is neither efficient nor sustainable over time. That, he said, is driving demand for Ukraine’s expertise. Fears over diverted US weapons The development comes as concern mounts in Europe and Ukraine that the widening conflict involving Iran could affect the flow of US weapons to Kyiv. Asked whether Ukraine should expect disruptions in deliveries, Batchik said it was too early to say, but warned that the possibility could not be dismissed. “The potential is there for some disruption,” he said, pointing to the rate at which US systems are being used in the Middle East. That “burn rate,” he argued, should worry policymakers in Washington and Europe alike. Batchik also said the war involving Iran is distracting attention from Ukraine at a sensitive moment, including in diplomacy. He pointed to visible strains in the transatlantic relationship, as European frustration grows over mixed signals from Washington on Russia, NATO, and the broader US security role in Europe. Even so, he stressed that Europe still needs the US fully engaged on Ukraine. “The United States does play a major role in Ukraine,” he said, adding that any future peace framework would still require a clear and credible American role.
