US rejected Ukrainian proposal for anti-Iranian drone technology, but later changed its position – media

A few months ago, Ukraine offered the United States its technologies to combat Iranian attack drones, but at the time, the American administration rejected this initiative. After the start of the war with Iran, Washington changed its position and turned to Kyiv for help. Axios writes about this, as reported by UNN.

Details

According to the publication, about seven months ago, Ukrainian officials tried to offer the United States technology for intercepting Iranian drones, particularly Shahed, which had already been tested in the war against Russia.

To present the capabilities of Ukrainian systems, Ukrainian representatives prepared a special presentation explaining how these technologies could protect American forces and their allies in the Middle East.

In particular, during a closed meeting at the White House on August 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered US President Donald Trump to use Ukrainian interceptor drones to enhance the security of American bases in the region.

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The presentation, obtained by Axios, also contained a warning that Iran is actively improving its Shahed-type attack drones.

The Ukrainian side proposed creating so-called "drone defense hubs" in Turkey, Jordan, and the Persian Gulf countries, where American military bases are located. This would help respond more quickly to drone attacks from Iran and its allies.

"We wanted to build a kind of 'drone walls' and all the necessary infrastructure — radars, detection and interception systems," one of the Ukrainian officials said.

According to the publication's sources, Donald Trump then instructed his team to work on this idea, but no practical steps were taken.

As American officials note, the rejection of the Ukrainian proposal was one of the administration's biggest tactical mistakes before the start of the war with Iran.

Iranian Shahed drones, which are actively used in the conflict, have already been linked to the deaths of seven American servicemen. In addition, intercepting such drones costs the US and its allies millions of dollars.

"If you're talking about a tactical mistake before the start of this war, that was it," one American official admitted.

According to The New York Times, last week the US officially asked Ukraine for help in combating Iranian drones.

At the same time, the White House states that American forces are already shooting down the vast majority of Iranian missiles and drones, and the number of casualties among military personnel is significantly lower than initial forecasts.

In addition, the US announced the deployment of its own drone combat system called Merops to enhance the protection of allies in the Middle East. However, some American officials admit that Ukrainian technologies could have significantly helped if they had been used earlier.

Recall

Zelenskyy stated his readiness to transfer drone combat technologies in exchange for air defense. Due to the war in Iran, Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot missiles.