Zelenskyy says Ukraine, UAE 'agreed to cooperate' on defence

## Summary
Advertisement World Zelenskyy says Ukraine, UAE 'agreed to cooperate' on defence Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the UAE comes as Gulf countries face Iranian drones launched by Tehran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST KYIV: Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to cooperate on defence amid Iran's drone strikes across the region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (Mar 28). Zelenskyy's unannounced visit to the UAE comes a day after he announced a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia , inked as the Gulf countries face Iranian drones launched by Tehran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes. Related: Commentary: What we can learn from how Iran and US have used cheap ‘disposable’ drones differently Zelenskyy to ink air security deal with Saudi Arabia on surprise visit Ukraine deploys units to five Middle East countries to intercept drones Source: CNA/gr Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics UAE Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy US-Israel war on Iran Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...

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Zelenskyy says Ukraine, UAE 'agreed to cooperate' on defence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the UAE comes as Gulf countries face Iranian drones launched by Tehran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.
A steeplejack assesses the damage after a building was hit by a reported drone strike in Dubai's Creek Harbour on Mar 12, 2026. (File photo: AFP)
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28 Mar 2026 05:44PM
(Updated: 28 Mar 2026 05:48PM)
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KYIV: Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to cooperate on defence amid Iran's drone strikes across the region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday (Mar 28).
Zelenskyy's unannounced visit to the UAE comes a day after he announced a
defence agreement with Saudi Arabia
, inked as the Gulf countries face Iranian drones launched by Tehran in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.
Kyiv has sought to leverage its expertise in downing Russian drones to help Gulf nations and has
deployed anti-drone experts to the region
, including to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Zelenskyy said on social media he had met with Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and they "agreed to cooperate in the field of security and defence. Our teams will finalise the details."
"For all normal states, it is important to ensure stability and protect lives amid today's threats. Ukraine has relevant expertise in this area," he said.
Ukraine touts its anti-drone defences as the best in the world.
It has proposed swapping its interceptors for vastly more expensive air-defence missiles that Gulf countries are using to down Iranian drones. Kyiv says it needs more of them to fend off near-daily Russian missile attacks.
"Protection must be sufficient everywhere. That is why we are open to joint work that, in a strategic perspective, will certainly strengthen our peoples and the protection of life in our countries," Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
Related:
Commentary: What we can learn from how Iran and US have used cheap ‘disposable’ drones differently
Zelenskyy to ink air security deal with Saudi Arabia on surprise visit
Ukraine deploys units to five Middle East countries to intercept drones
Source: CNA/gr
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Related Topics
UAE
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy
US-Israel war on Iran
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Our teams will finalise the details." "For all normal states, it is important to ensure stability and protect lives amid today's threats.

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- Our teams will finalise the details." "For all normal states, it is important to ensure stability and protect lives amid today's threats.
- That is why we are open to joint work that, in a strategic perspective, will certainly strengthen our peoples and the protection of life in our countries," Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers zelenskyy, fast, ukraine topics. Notable strengths include discussion of zelenskyy. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 535.