March 30 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pronounced his tour of Middle Eastern countries a success on Monday and said a number of security cooperation accords had been clinched or were under discussion.
Zelenskiy embarked on a tour of the region to offer Ukrainian expertise on how to counter attacks from drones fired by Iran in its conflict with the United States and Israel, which has spread across the Middle East.
He has promoted Ukrainian know-how acquired in its four-year-long war against Russia, which has long deployed Iranian-designed drones to strike Ukraine since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
Speaking in his nightly video address after his return to Kyiv, Zelenskiy said “historic” security agreements had been reached with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Ukraine, he said, was also working with Jordan and Kuwait and two other countries – Bahrain and Oman – had also expressed interest.
“For Ukraine, this is not only about prestige and respect for our people,” Zelenskiy said.
“This is a very concrete and practical matter. We are exporting our defence system, the skills of our warriors and the knowledge our state possesses.”
He said Ukraine expected “corresponding security cooperation”, which included discussions on air defence, development of defence production and energy cooperation.
Zelenskiy has stressed that arms sales must be decided at the government level, warning businesses against engaging with clients directly.
During the tour, the president said he had discussed the region’s supplies of diesel, vital for Ukraine’s defence needs and the agriculture sector.
In his address, Zelenskiy said he found “great respect” for Ukraine in the Middle East and a “shared vision among the countries of the region” to work together with Ukrainian experts.
“Security and restoring stability are the top priorities for everyone,” he said.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Nia Williams)
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