Ukraine sent interceptor drones and a group of experts to Jordan to help the Middle Eastern country shoot down drones used in attacks by Iran, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the newspaper The New York Times.
“We reacted immediately,” said Zelensky, explaining that the request was made by the US on Thursday and the team of Ukrainian experts began moving to the region on Friday.
Jordan is one of America’s main allies in the Middle East and is home to an important US military base that has been targeted by Iran in retaliation for bombings against the Islamic Republic started by Washington and Tel Aviv more than a week ago.
Zelensky explained on Sunday, at a press conference, that he hopes that the Ukrainian contribution to the security of Jordan and the American soldiers deployed there will translate into an increase in defensive capabilities not only for the US and its allies in the Middle East, but also for the Ukrainians.
Since the start of the war, more than four years ago, Ukraine has developed its own capabilities to shoot down Iranian Shahed drones, launched massively by Russia almost every night against its territory.
One of these solutions is the so-called interceptor drones, developed by Kiev to avoid the use of missiles and thus lower the cost of overthrowing the Shaheds.
Ukraine needs more US missiles for anti-aircraft defense systems, such as the Patriot, or for F-16 fighters. Although Washington has stopped sending free military material to Ukraine since President Donald Trump’s return to power, the US continues to transfer military equipment to Kiev, paid for mainly by European countries.
