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According to Zelensky, the US requested help Thursday last week.
In February, the Kiel Institute released a report showing that US military aid for Ukraine had dropped by a staggering 99% in 2025 – since Donald Trump took office for the second time.
But as the war with Iran has excalated into involving most of the Middle East, and with US military bases at risk of being hit by Iranian drones and missiles, Ukraine has now offered to help the US by sending interceptor drones and experts to protect US bases in Jordan, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky tells the New York Times.
According to Zelensky, the US requested help from Ukraine Thursday last week, and Ukraine sent a team of drone experts the following day.
The White House has not confirmed whether the US did in fact ask for help.
Trump blaming Zelensky
The move comes at a delicate moment in Ukraine’s relationship with Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump recently said he sees President Volodymyr Zelensky as more of an obstacle to peace negotiations than Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
By working alongside American partners in the Middle East, Kyiv hopes to demonstrate its value and contrast its position with Moscow.
U.S. officials cited by The New York Times say Russia has reportedly shared intelligence with Iran during the conflict, including satellite imagery of American naval positions.
Ukraine’s drone expertise
For more than four years, Ukraine has battled Iranian-designed Shahed drones supplied to Russia. That experience has forced the country to rapidly develop cheaper and more efficient ways to intercept them.
Early in the war, Ukraine sometimes relied on expensive air-defense missiles such as the Patriot system to destroy the drones. Officials soon realized the approach was unsustainable.
A Shahed drone can cost roughly $50,000 to produce, while a single Patriot interceptor missile costs more than $3 million.
Ukraine adapted by combining heavy machine guns, electronic jamming systems, interceptor drones and rockets launched from fighter jets.
According to Ukrainian Air Force data analyzed by The New York Times, Ukrainian defenses shot down about 87 percent of roughly 5,000 drones and decoys launched by Russia in February.
President Zelensky said leaders from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have contacted Kyiv seeking assistance since the Iran conflict began.
Sources: The Kiel Institute, The New York Times
