What defence support could Ukraine offer Middle East states amid Iran war?

"The US has asked for Ukraine's help in defending Washington's allies in the Middle East against Iranian missile attacks on infrastructure and US military assets, Ukraine's president confirmed last week. At the moment, the US is using air defence systems such as the Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries and Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, to intercept Iranian drones and missiles targeting its military assets in the region."

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kyiv could provide defensive systems as well as assistance to civilians and American soldiers deployed in certain countries in the Middle East as the war in Iran continues. He has reportedly proposed an exchange of Ukrainian defensive technology to combat Iranian drones in return for advanced US defensive systems to use in the war against Russia."

"The Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) and PAC-3 are advanced surface-to-air missile defence systems. However, these types of systems are extremely expensive, costing millions of dollars for each interceptor missile fired, and there are concerns that supplies of US interceptor missiles could run low."

Ukraine has developed low-cost drones to counter Russian attacks using imported Iranian Shahed drones. President Zelenskyy proposed providing Ukrainian defensive technology and assistance to American forces in the Middle East in exchange for advanced US defensive systems. The US-Israel-Iran conflict escalated after strikes killed Iran's supreme leader, prompting Iranian retaliation against Israel and US military assets across the Gulf region. The US requested Ukrainian air-defense systems to help protect its allies against Iranian missile attacks. Current US defenses include Patriot, THAAD, and AWACS systems, but concerns exist about depleting expensive interceptor missile supplies.

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