Qatar and Ukraine signed a defence cooperation agreement in Doha on Saturday, marking a significant milestone in the two countries’ security ties as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded his Gulf tour with a visit to the Qatari capital.

According to Qatar’s Defence Ministry, the agreement encompasses the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and drone systems a core offering Ukraine has been pitching across the region amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.

Zelenskyy arrived in Doha on Saturday following visits to Saudi Arabia on Thursday and the UAE on Friday, with Qatar News Agency releasing photos of the Ukrainian president being received by an official Qatari delegation upon landing.

The deal adds Qatar to a growing list of Gulf nations formalising security partnerships with Kyiv. Ukraine signed a separate defence agreement with Saudi Arabia earlier this week, which Zelenskyy described as laying “the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment.”

The arrangement is rooted in Ukraine’s battle-hardened expertise. Zelenskyy confirmed that Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, had submitted official requests for cooperation with Ukraine over its drone-countering capabilities. Ukraine has deployed more than 200 of its own air defence specialists to the region, with around 30 more heading to Jordan and Kuwait.

For Qatar, the partnership carries added strategic weight. Beyond its new defence role, the Gulf state has been one of the most active mediators on humanitarian aspects of the Russia-Ukraine war, helping facilitate the return of dozens of Ukrainian children forcibly deported by Russia since the 2022 invasion.

Zelenskyy’s Gulf tour comes at a moment of relative strength for Kyiv Ukraine’s air defences recorded a 97% interception rate against Russian drones in Moscow’s latest aerial assault. By positioning itself as a security exporter, Ukraine is simultaneously seeking to bolster diplomatic support and potentially secure advanced air defence systems, including Patriot missiles in return.

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