Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on claims by Ukrainian drone manufacturers about the alleged loss of opportunities to supply them to the Middle East. He called such claims false and gave the example of a company that has already sold a thousand interceptors to one of the countries in the region for about $3.5 million.
The president announced this in a comment to journalists, Suspilne reports.
“There is an example of one of the companies that sold a thousand interceptors to one country. The company is very well-known, and the country is very well-known. They sold 1,000 interceptors to the country. On the one hand, it sounds somehow so solid: 1,000 interceptors. And on the other hand, it's $3.5 million. I say dollars to make it clearer which country and where these interceptors ended up. We could just give these interceptors to this partner,” Zelenskyy said.
According to the president, this company, which has already sold drones, has a state contract worth 300 million euros. Zelensky stressed that the state should control arms exports so that the priority remains the Defense Forces of Ukraine, and then other countries.
Zelensky criticized attempts by individual companies to build factories abroad “behind the state's back,” calling it harmful to Ukrainian exports and offensive to the military, who risk their lives every day.
The President emphasized that Ukraine already has ten-year strategic contracts with three Middle Eastern countries worth billions of dollars, which guarantee stable exports and profits for Ukrainian producers.
Earlier, President Zelensky arrived in Qatar and met with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. They discussed the issue of strengthening the protection of citizens' lives and agreed on a mutually beneficial partnership in the defense sector for at least 10 years. After the meeting, the chiefs of the general staffs of both states signed a corresponding agreement, which provides for joint projects in the defense industry, the creation of co-productions and technological partnerships between companies.