Defence, Drones, Diplomacy: Ukraine and the GCC

Ukraine’s most recent defence cooperation agreements with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other Middle Eastern states point to a subtle but possibly important shift in global security dynamics. Drawing on its meanwhile four-year-old conflict with Russia, Kyiv’s recent diplomatic efforts have added an unexpected European dimension to the current crisis in the Gulf region, perhaps reshaping local responses to Iranian missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks.

Relying on layered air defense systems such as THAAD and Patriot, along with fighter jets, the Gulf states have coped very well with the targeting of assets and infrastructure on their territories. But with supplies of expensive and finite interceptors potentially running low in the future, some may have looked to Ukraine to replenish stocks.