Why Trump wants Ukraine’s interceptor drones in Iran war – POLITICO
www.politico.eu

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. ___

  • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    19·
    12 hours ago

    There’s a reason Ukraine is offering its expertise. The country has been shooting down Russian missiles and drones — especially Iran-designed Shahed drones — for more than four years. In January, Ukraine faced an average of 143 Shahed-type drone and decoys daily, intercepting 122 of them, according to a study by the Institute for Science and International Security.

    Ukrainian units haven’t just mastered drone defenses, they’ve reshaped the battlefield with offensive drone tactics — as seen last year during Estonia’s Hedgehog drills, where a 10-person Ukrainian Nemesis drone team outmaneuvered two NATO battalions. As Western and Gulf militaries scramble to adapt to Iran’s expanding drone campaign, Kyiv is signaling it is ready to teach others its battlefield lessons.

    Key Ukrainian tactics included attacking NATO troops from the rear (where they thought they were safe), surveying allied formations gathered in large groups (often without proper camouflage), mining the approach roads they were taking, and using electronic warfare to turn off key equipment.

    Good for them. I’m somewhat saddened to hear that Zelenskiy is sharing info with tRump, but I get it. Maybe this time the orange dipshit will respect Zelenskiy and Ukraine’s mastery of new tactics.