Ukrainian Ambassador Dr. Maksym Subkh outlined the proposal during a press conference marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence and 33 years of diplomatic relations with Kuwait. According to the envoy, enforcement of the bilateral pact creates a foundation for deeper collaboration that extends well beyond equipment transactions to include personnel training, joint projects and expertise sharing aimed at bolstering Kuwaiti armed forces capabilities. Subkh noted that the two sides have now begun practical military and defense cooperation after Kuwait completed all required legal steps, describing the move as opening doors to mutual benefits in a qualitative partnership.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had signaled the start of this new phase two months earlier, thanking Kuwait’s leadership for facilitating the agreement’s entry into force. A statement from Sybiha highlighted opportunities for implementing joint initiatives, exchanging experience in modern technologies and strengthening strategic dialogue across military, technical and security domains. The minister added that Ukraine’s daily experience defending against Russian aggression equips it to share proven methods for countering contemporary threats, framing the Kuwait accord as a timely response to regional aerial dangers.
The initiative builds on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s earlier outreach to Gulf states, where he offered Ukraine’s counter-drone expertise developed in response to Iranian-supplied systems used by Russian forces. Kuwait has encountered similar challenges, including a 2026 Iranian strike that exposed gaps in existing defenses and prompted a nearly $2 billion acquisition of advanced counter-unmanned aerial systems from U.S. manufacturer Anduril, the U.S. State Department approval showed. Zelenskyy has separately confirmed ten-year defense pacts with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that pair Ukrainian interceptor technology with energy supplies critical to Kyiv’s resilience.
Subkh emphasized that the concept of defense cooperation remains broader than military sales alone, encompassing joint exercises, general staff coordination, military planning and additional protocols to define specific projects. “The goal of cooperation is not just marketing or selling his country’s military equipment, including drones,” the ambassador stated, underscoring instead a comprehensive framework for training, consultations and capability enhancement. He expressed Ukraine’s readiness to finalize further agreements that convert the 2018 pact into concrete outcomes in the near term.
Kuwait previously secured a $367 million contract in 2023 to purchase Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, expanding its unmanned fleet for border monitoring, naval support and reconnaissance missions, according to Kuwaiti military officials. The latest developments reflect Kyiv’s strategy of leveraging wartime innovations in unmanned systems, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence to forge security ties across the region. Ukrainian specialists have already deployed to multiple Gulf countries, where they have assisted in intercepting Iranian Shahed drones, Zelenskyy has reported.
Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Kuwait date to April 1993, with numerous high-level exchanges including visits by Ukrainian presidents in 2003 and 2018. The ambassador expressed appreciation for Kuwait’s consistent backing of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law, along with humanitarian contributions such as the one million dollars allocated in 2023 to procure generators for Ukraine’s targeted energy infrastructure. Subkh added that both nations share an understanding of independence struggles, referencing Kuwait’s experience during the 1990 invasion while noting Ukraine’s restoration of statehood after centuries of efforts to preserve its identity.
