Zelenskyy says Ukraine signed ‘drone deal’ with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said that Kyiv has signed “three major security documents” with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, describing them as a “drone deal.”

“We have signed three major security documents with the countries of the Middle East — the Drone Deal with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. They will be implemented through a number of different contracts with both the private and public sectors of Ukraine,” he said on Telegram.

According to him, one of the features of the deal is “low-cost drones and co-production lines for their production.”

“Shahed drone can cost from 80,000 to 130,000 dollars. It will be destroyed not with the help of a missile worth 3-4 million dollars, but with the help of an interceptor worth 10 thousand dollars. We want to help them defend themselves. And we will continue to build such partnerships with other countries,” he said.

Shahed drones are Iranian unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

He also said he would like to share Ukraine’s experience in drone production with the United States as well.

Turning to the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, Zelenskyy said he insists on deploying international forces on the line of contact with Russia.

Asked about the ceasefire in the Middle East, he said Ukraine supports it but has concerns that Russia may profit from it.