Ukraine has signed a defence cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, laying the groundwork for future contracts in which Ukrainian companies could help the kingdom with its air defences.

“We have reached an important arrangement,” Zelensky said on social media, adding that Ukraine was ready for long-term cooperation and hoped to become a force in global defence contracting.

The signing took place before a meeting on Friday between Zelensky and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto Saudi ruler. The leaders met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the escalating tensions in West Asia and the war in Ukraine.

For years, Ukraine has been refining methods for combating Iranian-designed Shahed drones, which Russia launches into the country by the thousands each month. After the US and Israel began attacking Iran late last month, the Iranian armed forces retaliated by firing these drones at US allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia.

The Iran conflict has given Ukraine a chance to showcase its battle-tested technology and present itself as a valuable partner as countries look to bolster their defences.

Donbas ‘lie’

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Friday that Zelensky’s comment that the US was making an offer of security guarantees conditional on Kyiv ceding the Donbas region was “a lie”.

Zelensky was told that security guarantees would only come after there is an end to the war, Rubio said.

New York Times News Service and Reuters