In a now-infamous Oval Office meeting in February 2025, President Donald Trump berated his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, telling the embattled wartime leader: “You don’t have the cards right now.”
Well, Zelenskyy may have drawn an ace.
The war in Iran has created a diplomatic and economic opportunity for Ukraine and its president. As swarms of low-cost Iranian drones have caused havoc across the Gulf, hitting oil infrastructure and U.S. bases, Ukraine’s low-cost drone defense technology is suddenly in high demand.
Zelenskyy told the British Parliament on March 17 that 201 Ukrainian anti-drone experts are in the Middle East and another 34 “are ready to deploy.”
What can Middle Eastern countries learn from these experts? And what can Zelenskyy gain for Ukraine by helping the Middle East?
To help answer these questions, I spoke with Frida Ghitis, a global affairs analyst and opinion writer. She writes the Substack newsletter Insight. Frida is also senior columnist for World Politics Review. She is an on-air CNN contributor, who worked for the network as a producer and correspondent in more than 60 countries. During her 18 years at CNN she worked in the major events of the times, including wars, revolutions, and presidential summits, with multiple stints in Moscow, Havana, Jerusalem, Buenos Aires, and dozens of places in between. Watch or listen to our conversation above.
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