Qatar and Ukraine have entered a new defence agreement aimed at enhancing cooperation in countering missiles and unmanned aerial systems, the Qatari Ministry of Defence stated on 28 March 2028.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Doha to formalise the deal following his meeting with officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier that day.
The agreement covers cooperation in technology, joint investment initiatives, and sharing expertise in addressing missile and unmanned aerial system threats.
President Zelenskyy told reporters at a briefing, “We are talking about a 10-year cooperation. We have already signed a relevant agreement with Saudi Arabia, we have just signed a similar agreement with Qatar, also for 10 years, we will sign one with the Emirates.”
Zelenskyy had also signed a similar arrangement with Saudi Arabia during his visit to the kingdom.
On 27 March, Zelenskyy referred to an “important Arrangement” between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on defence cooperation.
He noted that “the document was signed ahead of our meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. It lays the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. It also strengthens Ukraine’s international role as a security donor.”
On 29 March 2026, President Zelenskyy also met King Abdullah II of Jordan to discuss possible partnership in security as well as regional developments across the Middle East and Gulf region.
Ukraine has indicated its readiness to collaborate on countering drone and missile attacks. Drawing on wartime experience, Zelenskyy said that establishing comprehensive protection requires unified systems due to ongoing attacks involving Russian strikes and Iranian drones.
“It is also very important that those to whom we offer our expertise can help strengthen us as well. I thank His Majesty for the meeting and for his openness to dialogue,” Zelenskyy said on X.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense recently stated on X that its pilot project involving private sector participation in national air defence achieved initial successful interceptions, which included Shahed and Zala drones in the Kharkiv region.
