Ukraine and Saudi Arabia signed a defense cooperation agreement centered on counter-drone technology, combining Kyiv’s battlefield experience against Iranian-designed drones with plans for joint production, technology development and investment.
The agreement provides for Ukraine to share operational knowledge acquired from years of confronting aerial attacks, including methods used to detect and destroy low-cost attack drones such as the Shahed.
Ukraine and Saudi Arabia are set to establish joint production lines and develop drone interceptors, while creating opportunities for technological investment, according to the framework. Kyiv is seeking broader cooperation on air defenses and missile assistance from partners in the Middle East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the agreement and its next stages during high-level talks, along with global food security.
“There are domains in which Ukraine and Saudi Arabia can strengthen each other’s ability to protect lives and people,” Zelenskyy wrote on X following their conversation.
Zelenskyy said the leaders addressed measures expected to be taken in the near future as part of what he called the “Drone Deal” between the two countries.
The Ukrainian president later said officials from his government were already working in the region on expanding cooperation.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian team was in the region “and there are already areas in which our relations are developing well. I am counting on reciprocity in our mutual support.”
The talks also covered coordination between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia on food security, which Zelenskyy described as a “global need.”
