Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is turning battlefield innovation into bargaining power, offering Ukraine’s anti-drone systems to Middle Eastern allies, while seeking more air-defense support as the war with Russia drags into its fourth year.Zelenskyy met Friday in Abu Dhabi with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the two discussed an agreement by which Ukraine would provide its cutting-edge counter-drone technology in exchange for ballistic missile support and financial aid.In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News after the meeting, Zelenskyy detailed how Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, namely its anti-Russian drone systems, are influencing defense partnerships worldwide.ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR ‘REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR”We have, for example, drone interceptors. We have [a] system of electronic warfare and a lot of things. All these jointly work in one system. This is what we have [that] nobody has,” Zelenskyy told Fox News correspondent Matt Finn in Abu Dhabi.Ukraine is now sharing elements of that system with at least four Persian Gulf nations — the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — as they confront growing threats from Iran’s drone capabilities.But Zelenskyy emphasized the partnership must be reciprocal. Ukraine continues to face a “big deficit” of critical air defense weapons, particularly PAC-3 Patriot missiles used to intercept ballistic threats.”We are ready to help Middle East countries with our expertise and with our knowledge, and we hope … that they can help with anti-ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy said.Ukraine has already signed…
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