Zelensky offers instructors to Middle East
Vladimir Zelensky has offered to provide Gulf nations with Ukrainian instructors to help them fend off Iranian drone and missile strikes, but only in exchange for liaison with Moscow on Kiev’s behalf. The Ukrainian leader suggested deploying military personnel abroad despite his country’s own escalating manpower shortages amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The Ukrainian military has been grappling with widespread draft evasion and desertion in recent months, in addition to significant battlefield losses. According to the Russian military’s estimates, in 2025 alone, Kiev took more than 520,000 casualties.
Speaking on Tuesday, Zelensky said that “if the Middle Eastern leaders manage to talk [Russian President Vladimir] Putin into a ceasefire [with Ukraine]… then the guys who are now defending our skies could travel and defend or teach those nations how to defend [themselves] from Iranian attacks.” He also suggested that Gulf states swap PAC-3 missiles used in the US-made Patriot air defense system for Ukrainian drone interceptors.
Amid the ongoing peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, Kiev has insisted on a temporary ceasefire as a precondition for discussing some of the key issues at stake. Russia has rejected the idea, saying that Ukraine would merely use any pause to the hostilities to replenish and regroup its forces. The Kremlin has consistently stressed the need to address the root causes of the conflict to resolve it.
On Sunday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer similarly stated that “we will also bring experts from Ukraine together with our own experts to help Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones attacking them,” He framed the move as necessary to protect British citizens and partners in the region.
The previous day, the US and Israeli militaries launched massive airstrikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several top Iranian commanders, with more attacks since. The Islamic Republic retaliated by firing barrages of drones and missiles at Israel, as well as US and UK military installations across the Middle East.
Moscow has condemned the killing of Khamenei, with President Putin describing it as a “cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.”
