Ukraine has some of the world’s best expertise on intercepting Iranian drones — and now wants to capitalize on it.
Donald Trump’s attack on Iran reveals that Ukraine does have some cards to play, after all.
The U.S. president lambasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last year in the White House, telling him: “You don’t have the cards right now.” One year on, Ukraine is holding talks with polite American officials in Kyiv keen to get a look-in on Ukraine’s world-leading anti-drone technology.
“Partners are turning to us, to Ukraine, for help,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday night. “Requests on this matter have also come from the American side.”
Zelenskyy said he was also talking to Arab nations seeking to upgrade defenses against Iran, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain. He was clear that Kyiv was seeking to gain strategic leverage from the talks. ___
Zelensky’s goal is to achieve the best outcome for Ukraine and save the country from Russian occupation, not score FU points. If trading interceptors to partners helps Ukraine, Zelensky will do what needs to be done.
But thats my point, there are no gains to be had making a deal with Trump. The man is notorious for refusing to uphold agreements. So its not about FU point and more about not getting caught up in the US bullshit machine.