The United States, which stopped providing military and financial assistance to Ukraine under President Donald Trump, has asked for Kyiv’s assistance in protecting its bases from Iranian retaliatory strikes in the Gulf.Ukraine’s head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, made the request public on March 6.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listTwo days later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would send military experts to the Gulf.On March 9, Zelenskyy also dispatched chief negotiator Rustem Umerov to sell Ukrainian interceptor drones to Gulf states.Zelenskyy said the US and more than 10 European and Middle Eastern countries had already reached out to Ukraine, “requesting our support for their defensive capabilities”. [Al Jazeera]Ukraine had a vested interest in answering that call, said Zelenskyy.“Stability is important for us, as well. Those now seeking Ukraine’s help must continue to assist our own defence,” he said.Ukraine has struck drone co-production agreements with a number of European allies. It has proposed the same to the US.“Everyone now sees that there is no alternative to this approach,” he said.The Washington Post reported on March 6 that Russia had been helping Iran target US assets and allies in the Gulf, citing three unnamed US officials. Washington perceives Iran as an enemy, but not Russia. Moscow’s collusion could help Ukraine to change that perception and realign Washington with Kyiv and its European allies.Ukraine had other vested interests in helping the Gulf states. [Al Jazeera]While Iran manages to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to tankers, a large proportion of the world’s oil is kept …
