Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that agreements already concluded or currently being prepared with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE relate to air defense, defense production, and energy cooperation.
After returning to Kyiv, the President of Ukraine described his Middle East tour as successful and said that “historic” security agreements had been reached with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. According to him, this is not only about political support, but about practical cooperation in air defense, the development of defense manufacturing, and energy.
According to information released after the visits, an interagency defense cooperation arrangement has already been signed with Saudi Arabia, laying the groundwork for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. With Qatar, a 10-year intergovernmental agreement was signed providing for joint defense industry projects, the establishment of co-production sites, and technological partnerships between companies. As for the UAE, the parties agreed to cooperate in the security and defense sector, while the details are still being finalized by the teams.
Energy was discussed as a separate block of negotiations. During the tour, the parties discussed diesel supplies, which are critically important for Ukraine’s defense forces and agricultural sector, as well as broader energy cooperation. Zelenskyy also stated directly that the purpose of the talks was not only to build long-term strategic ties with the region, but also to attract funding for investment in weapons production in Ukraine.
For the investment market, this is an important signal: Ukraine is effectively opening a new external channel for potential contracts, production partnerships, and defense-tech financing. This means the Gulf track may move from the diplomatic sphere into real orders, production localization, technological alliances, and longer-term capital programs in air defense, anti-drone solutions, and energy supply. This is an analytical conclusion that follows from the structure of the agreements already announced and statements about future investment in weapons manufacturing.
