Ukraine sends drone experts and interceptor UAVs to help defend US bases in Jordan – NYT

Ukraine has sent interceptor drones and a team of drone specialists to help protect US military bases in Jordan as the war involving Iran expands beyond the country's borders.

Source: The New York Times, citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Details: Zelenskyy said the US had requested assistance on 5 March and the Ukrainian team had left the following day, meaning it was expected to arrive in the Middle East shortly afterwards.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "We reacted immediately. I said, yes, of course, we will send our experts."

Details: The NYT noted that the White House had not responded to questions about whether the US had formally asked Ukraine for help.

The NYT said that the US-Israeli war against Iran risks shifting global attention away from the war in Ukraine, but it has also given Kyiv an opportunity to apply its hard-earned experience and advanced technologies on a new battlefield.

"The country has eagerly offered to help US forces and their Middle Eastern allies defend against the sorts of Iranian-designed attack drones that Russia has been using in Ukraine for years. Kyiv is hoping to score points with the United States in American-brokered peace talks," the NYT reported.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants to help countries in the Middle East but must balance such requests with Ukraine's own needs, as the country has now entered a fifth year of fighting Russia's full-scale invasion.

The war in Iran could also disrupt supplies of defensive weapons urgently needed by Ukraine. Kyiv has proposed exchanging its interceptor drones used to protect Middle Eastern countries for more powerful systems required to counter Russian ballistic missiles.

Ukraine also said it is ready to assist Middle Eastern countries in exchange for diplomatic support in efforts to secure a ceasefire with Russia, as some countries in the region have "very strong relations with Russia", Zelenskyy said.

"That's why I said, Look, so maybe they can speak with Russians and Russians will make a pause. In this case, of course, we can help the Middle East to defend them," he said.

The NYT pointed out that no other countries have more experience in countering Iranian drones than Ukraine.

According to Zelenskyy and Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, countries in the Middle East fired over 800 Patriot missiles to counter more than 2,000 Iranian kamikaze drones and more than 500 ballistic missiles in the first few days of last week's war involving Iran.

Zelenskyy's adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said that Kyiv has received only about 600 modern Patriot missiles over the four years of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

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