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On April 4 and 5, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made unannounced visits to Turkey and Syria. Officially, the talks focused on expanding diplomatic and economic cooperation. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, Kyiv — facing a freeze in US aid and a blocked EU loan — is offering its combat experience in drone warfare and air defense to Middle Eastern partners in exchange for funding, resources, and access to military infrastructure.
It is entirely logical that countries of the Global South lag behind the leading armies of world powers. The U.S., with the largest military budget, can afford to spend billions developing and testing new weapons, while Russia has focused on low‑cost, mass‑produced technologies — technologies that have proven effective in Ukraine. Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa do not have massive budgets or the opportunity to test weapons in large‑scale conflicts. Ukraine is giving them a shortcut: Turkey and Syria are poised to receive low‑cost attack drone technology — a shift that could alter the regional balance of power in the long term.
Uninvited help
Since the U.S.-Israel war against Iran began, Ukraine has repeatedly offered to help organize air defense in the Persian Gulf region. Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Olha Stefanishyna, stated that Ukraine has provided “expert assistance” to Persian Gulf countries to help them counter Iranian drones. According to a Reuters report from March 6 citing sources, a group of Ukrainian air defense specialists was in the Middle East recently. The official version, as stated by Zelenskyy, is to help partners combat Iranian kamikaze drones. Unofficially, however, the mission is to provide cover for American bases and military personnel who were attacked after the strike on Iran.
In reality, this is a barter deal. Kyiv has been facing a severe shortage of Patriot missiles for several months now — the only means capable of offering any resistance to Russian ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy has made the price clear: Ukrainian specialists’ expertise in exchange for PAC-3 anti-aircraft missiles, which the Gulf monarchies no longer stockpile in large quantities. The Arabs consider firing them at cheap “Shaheds” an unaffordable luxury. Furthermore, the U.S. administration has already demonstrated through its actions that Ukraine should not expect to receive anti-missile systems despite its efforts to support American allies.
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Sending Ukrainian air defense specialists seems to be more of a public relations stunt than actual assistance to the Gulf states. The effectiveness of Ukraine’s own air defense system is the key factor here. Nearly every day, dozens or even hundreds of Russian Geran-2 drones (similar to the Iranian Shahed-136) attack targets in areas under Kyiv’s control. Some are shot down as they approach, but Ukraine will never reach the level of effectiveness of Israel’s “Iron Dome” air defense system. Furthermore, the U.S. and thus the Gulf states are already familiar with the basic principles of organizing mobile fire groups to engage slow-moving, low-altitude targets.
So far, all of Kyiv’s attempts to score political points with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump have failed. Ukraine has not received the desired anti-missile systems. The deepening conflict in the Persian Gulf could also cut off supplies of other types of high-tech weapons.
Unavoidable alternatives
Zelenskyy’s April 4 visit to Istanbul to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was a carefully calculated move. All the talk about the peace process and negotiations with Russia is merely a smokescreen. Kyiv is actually pursuing different, more pressing goals.
“We agreed on new steps in security cooperation. This primarily concerns areas where we can support Turkey with expertise, technology, and experience. There is fundamental political willingness to work together, and our teams will finalize the details in the coming days,” Zelenskyy stated in his video address.
We discussed practical steps for implementing joint projects in gas infrastructure construction, as well as opportunities for jointly developing gas fields,” Zelenskyy stated in his video address.
However, the U.S. has halted financial aid to Ukraine. The European Union still lacks unity on granting a new loan to Kyiv, and it is unclear when this matter will be resolved. Ukraine is rapidly running out of money, which could result in complete economic collapse and total defeat in the war with Russia. Therefore, Zelensky is urgently seeking new sources of funding and has something to offer his Middle Eastern partners.
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Drones have sparked a new revolution on the battlefield. In Ukraine, more people are killed by drones every day than by all the expensive American UAVs combined over several years of use. Kyiv is seeking to sell this knowledge and technology in exchange for financial aid and possibly Turkish air defense systems. However, Turkey’s air defense system is not as advanced, and it lacks the Patriot systems so coveted by Kyiv. However, Ankara does not want to fall behind the leading military powers because it has serious ambitions to dominate the region. Acquiring the military experience and technology to produce small strike UAVs could elevate the Turkish army to a new level.
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On April 5, Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Damascus, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The visit was part of Ukraine’s efforts to expand diplomatic ties in the Middle East, following the two countries’ restoration of relations. As in Turkey, the meeting primarily focused on security issues. They discussed potential military cooperation, including sharing Ukraine’s experience with modern warfare, especially countering drone and missile threats. Additionally, they touched on economic issues, including Ukrainian grain exports and ensuring food security in the region. They also discussed the overall situation in the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Syria is a key ally of Turkey’s in the region because the Turks brought the current government to power. Zelenskyy’s visit to Damascus serves several purposes. First and foremost, Ankara aims to strengthen its control over its ally. Therefore, Ankara is prepared to adopt Ukrainian experience and technology, as well as bring the Syrian army up to the required standard. Damascus could become the proxy force through which Turkey exerts pressure on Israel. In the event of a major ground conflict, it will be crucial for Syrian forces to have an inexpensive, mass-produced, long-range means of destroying armored vehicles and personnel. In this regard, Ukraine’s experience in designing and manufacturing drones will be invaluable.
Zelenskyy’s second, less obvious objective was to slap Moscow in the face. Russia had invested heavily in Syria and supported Bashar al-Assad, but lost all its gains in a short period of time. Ukraine is attempting to replace Russia in Syria, though this is not at all the case. Meanwhile, Russian military bases remain in Syria, including in Tartus. If Ukrainian specialists arrive in Damascus, we can expect drone strikes against Russian military targets along the coast soon after. This would escalate the Ukrainian conflict and derail peace talks.
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This strategy has already proven effective in Libya. According to RFI, citing Libyan sources, there may be more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel and specialists in the country, including drone operators. They are reportedly stationed at three locations: an air force base in Misrata, a base in the Zawiya area near the Mellit oil and gas complex, and the 111th Brigade headquarters in Tripoli.
According to these sources, the deployment is taking place with the consent of the Tripoli government. Under the alleged agreements, Ukraine is providing training to Libyan military personnel, primarily in the use of unmanned technologies. The agreements also allow for the delivery of arms, as well as participation in investment projects, including those in the oil sector. In return, the Ukrainian side is granted access to military infrastructure and facilities in western Libya.
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It is also claimed that the Mellita area could be used as a launch site for maritime and aerial drones. Publications have mentioned the possible involvement of these forces in attacks on Russian naval targets in the Mediterranean Sea, including the tankers Arctic, Metagaz, and Qendil. Magura V5-type naval drones are cited as one of the means used. These actions align with Ukraine’s strategy to disrupt Russian maritime logistics routes.
On the Brink of a Military Revolution
Advanced military technologies have reached the Middle East and North Africa. Libya has acquired knowledge of and technology for combat drones developed during the conflict in Ukraine. The same will soon happen with Turkey and Syria. This will significantly shift the balance of power in the region. Countries in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula will fall behind. This will give Ankara the opportunity to pursue its own objectives under conditions of military superiority. This will temporarily neutralize opposition from its main geopolitical rivals.
Russia is also expected to become involved in the military development of the region’s countries. Iran is the prime candidate to receive military drone technology. However, Moscow cannot yet transfer this technology to the Islamic Republic because doing so could undermine the thaw in relations with Washington. The current regime in Tehran is highly likely to survive. Once the active phase of the conflict ends, Russia may begin transferring small strike drone technology, and China will likely participate as well.
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Over the next year, Turkey and Syria plan to rapidly expand the unmanned component of their armed forces. In the event of localized conflicts with geopolitical rivals, superiority in drones will have a decisive impact. The conflict in Libya could flare up again. Moscow will not overlook the brazen use of bases controlled by the Government of National Accord by the Ukrainians. At the very least, Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces will acquire similar technologies through Russian private military companies operating in Libya. This could lead to a hunt for Ukrainian UAV operators and mark the beginning of a new round of confrontation between internal forces in Libya.
Following Libya, Turkey, and Syria, other countries in the region will likely do the same. Inevitably, various terrorist groups will also acquire attack drones. This will enable these organizations to elevate terrorism and the elimination of undesirable individuals. If militants acquire drones en masse before official troops do, political regimes in some countries could quickly become radicalized.
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more weapons for zelensky so he can keep exterminating orcs!
shitrael, oinkraine and ussa…..jew run shitholes that have no futures
jew boy is struggling to be relevant
“on april 5, volodymyr zelenskyy traveled to damascus, where he met with syrian president bashar al-assad.” fix this typo
so, you doubt zelensky would hesitate to sell himself to assad if he were still in power? trump can be called a loose kosher cannon but zelensky is a loose popgun.
if the sbu itself or the fsb don’t finally put this warthog to sleep, then mossad surely will.
i have wondering why russians have not killed zelensky yet when they can easily do so. the only reason i can think of is he is still useful to russia because zelensky does everything in russian favor for the war effort. if he pushed for negotiations as hard as pushing for war, russia would be pressured to freeze the conflict which is unacceptable. so zelensky is actually a russian asset but he does not know it
turkiye and recep the dog erdoğan will never join the eu, we don’t want inferior moslemsandpeople to ever stain our superior blue blood judeo-christian heritage. we already have enough problems with people like orban. allowing a goatfaking country like turkiye would be suicide. once we’re done with iran we’re going to break up turkiye as well. mark my words. eslava ucrania.
the problem is, iran is kicking your ass and it will not be broken. things are not going well in the 1 day regime change operation. the west are losers. you spent too long elevating yourself as heroes, but you are zeroes
what ukraine can transfer in drone expertise would fill a five page pamphlet.
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inferior ugly species americunts weak pathetic cannot unblock hormuz😂