Zelensky confirmed in an interview with the New York Times that he dispatched Ukrainian drone experts and interceptor drones to protect US bases in Jordan upon the US’ request. He also revealed that another team of experts will soon travel to the region to help countries evaluate how they could protect themselves from Iranian attacks without relying so much on costly Patriot missiles. Another detail was him proposing that they help Ukraine diplomatically vis-à-vis Russia in exchange for anti-drone support.
The outlet editorialized that “Kyiv is hoping to score points with the United States in American-brokered peace talks” and “hopes to draw a contrast with Moscow” by having Ukraine provide defensive support for the US and its allies to counter Russia allegedly helping Iran target the US’ regional assets. Even so, Zelensky said that he has “to balance those requests with Ukraine’s needs at home”, reaffirming what he recently told Italian media about the scenario of possibly reduced Western aid due to the Third Gulf War.
In that same earlier interview, he pitched for more investment in Ukraine’s drone industry in exchange for sharing its knowledge and experience with those who contribute to financing this, and the Gulf Kingdoms obviously have the urgent need and the funds to pay for it on his (potentially corrupt?) terms. If he and his clique can personally profit from this, then he might redirect experts and assets from his own country’s aerial defense to the Gulf Kingdoms’ even at the expense of Ukraine’s national interests.
Zelensky’s speculatively self-interested motives aside, complying with the US’ reported request – which the New York Times noted hadn’t been confirmed by it – and perhaps soon the Gulf Kingdoms’ too enables him to present Ukraine as a reliable partner, thus assuaging some domestic US dislike of it. This also conforms with the informal policy that’s been in place for some years already of selling Ukraine’s military services to countries like Sudan and non-state actors like the Tuaregs in conflict with Russia.
He has larger ambitions than just selling his armed forces as a global mercenary service, whether for (personal?) profit and/or political/diplomatic gain, since his endgame is to convince the Europeans to defy Russia by deploying troops to Ukraine after the conflict ends. In pursuit of this, he hopes to prove Ukraine’s worth in defending against Iranian drones, after which he hopes that NATO’s Eastern Flank will agree with his October 2024 proposal for swapping some US troops with Ukrainian ones.
The one that matters the most for Ukraine is Poland, which experienced a Russian drone incursion last September (arguably caused by NATO jamming) that was exploited by its deep state in an attempt to manipulate the president into war with Russia. Although he ruled out deploying troops to Ukraine during the election and is unlikely to flip-flop, accepting Ukrainian anti-drone assistance could encourage other NATO allies to seriously consider deploying troops to Ukraine as a quid pro quo for it defending the bloc.
All in all, while Zelensky hopes to remain in Trump’s good graces and profit from helping protect the Gulf Kingdoms from Iranian drones, what he wants most of all is a quid pro quo whereby Ukrainian forces protect NATO’s Eastern Flank from Russian drones in exchange for NATO deploying troops to Ukraine. Russia is still adamantly opposed to the presence of any foreign forces there, however, so NATO might not agree to this arrangement but could still solicit Ukraine’s services and thus further enrich Zelensky.
