Zelenskyy Offers Assistance To Gulf Nations Amid Iran Offensive, But There's A Catch

Last Updated:March 03, 2026, 13:26 IST

Volodymyr Zelenskyy offers Gulf nations help against Iranian drone threats, linking it to a Ukraine ceasefire.

West Asia Conflict: As tensions intensify in West Asia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered assistance to Gulf nations facing Iranian drone and missile threats – but linked the proposal to a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that the Gulf leaders have strong economic ties and relations with Russia and could play a role in persuading Moscow to agree to a pause in hostilities. He said that if Gulf leaders send a signal to Russia to implement a ceasefire, Ukraine could deploy specialists to help protect civilian populations in the region.

“If they give Russia a signal to cease fire, for example, for a certain period of time, (0:14) a month, two months, we can then send our specialists to protect the civilian population.The peace talks should take place between the 5th and the 8th or 9th of this month.," he said as quoted by news agency Reuters.

Zelenskyy further said that peace negotiations related to the Ukraine war were tentatively planned between the 5th and 8th or 9th of this month, with Abu Dhabi proposed as the venue — a suggestion he said came from the American side.

“In principle, we plan to hold the negotiations in Abu Dhabi," he said, adding that if developments in the Gulf alter plans, Ukraine would be open to meeting in another location.

“We are prepared to meet in Switzerland and we are also prepared to meet in Turkey, as I mentioned today. Turkey and Switzerland were both possible venues, as were the Emirates," he added.

In separate interview with Bloomberg, the Ukrainian leader said that Kyiv has developed unique expertise in intercepting drones, many of them Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), during the ongoing war with Russia.

Once a ceasefire is declared, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would send its “best operators of drone interceptors" to assist Gulf countries in defending against aerial threats. He said that the ceasefire could last two months or even two weeks, “so that Ukrainians can help Middle Eastern countries protect civilians."

A full-scale war erupted in West Asia on February 28, when the US and Israel jointly struck Iranian strategic sites, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and targeting nuclear, military, and leadership figures amid stalled nuclear talks, prompting retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Gulf region.

(With inputs from agencies)

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