Zelenskyy announces 10-year defence deals with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the conclusion of long-term agreements with several Middle Eastern nations, alongside an expansion of international defence cooperation.

Zelenskyy, sharing a post on Telegram, said Ukraine has reached agreements “on 10-year deals with three key countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.

“We already have requests from 11 countries — these include the Middle East and the Persian Gulf states, and we are also gradually looking toward the Caucasus,” he noted.

The Ukrainian leader added that under the so-called Drone Deal, there will be “at least 10 different agreements covering various exports of Ukrainian weapons. Joint production is envisaged — the construction of our production lines in both Ukraine and other countries.

“This involves new technologies that we are co-developing with partner nations, in which they are investing. There is also an agreement on annual financing of a specified volume for a fixed number of years,” Zelenskyy emphasised.

He also outlined a second track focused on Europe, noting that cooperation has already begun with Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

“Of course, we have strong relations with the United Kingdom and France. I am confident that this will also be implemented there,” Zelenskyy said.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov