From eastern Ukraine to the Persian Gulf, it is now abundantly clear that drones are transforming the way modern wars are fought. As countries around the world scramble to update national defense doctrines, this is creating opportunities for Ukraine to leverage its unique drone warfare experience and consolidate its position among Europe’s top militaries.
Ukraine’s emergence since 2022 as a world leader in drone warfare has been a matter of necessity. Faced with Russia’s often overwhelming advantages in manpower and conventional firepower, Kyiv has turned to drone technologies as a cost-effective and sustainable solution.
The results have been stunning. In just four years, Ukraine has built a domestic drone industry that is capable of producing millions of drones annually while upgrading and innovating on a daily basis. Along the front lines of the war, at sea, and deep inside Russia, drones have allowed Ukraine to stem the tide of Putin’s invasion and strike back powerfully.
This is now creating diplomatic opportunities that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is deftly exploiting. The Ukrainian leader embarked on a high-profile tour of the Gulf region in early spring, signing security partnerships with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. A number of similar pacts are reportedly under discussion as well.
These visits were a textbook example of military diplomacy, or in Ukraine’s case, drone diplomacy. Traditionally, the use of military cooperation as a tool of statecraft has been seen as the exclusive preserve of major powers, who use military training, technology transfer, and security commitments to win over smaller states.
By using its drone technologies and expertise to engage larger and wealthier nations, Ukraine is now reversing this model entirely. There is no doubt that Ukraine has much to offer. The question is whether Kyiv can convert its unique technologies and drone data into long-term geopolitical gains that outlast the war with Russia.
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With the US seeking to reduce its transatlantic security role, Europe is now rearming at a pace not seen since the Cold War. The industrial and doctrinal decisions currently being made will define the continent’s security architecture for a generation. Ukraine’s strategic imperative is to embed itself into that architecture before the window closes.
Drone diplomacy can help Kyiv achieve that goal. This week, Zelenskyy signed a series of agreements deepening defense sector cooperation with Germany and Norway, with an emphasis on Ukraine’s drone warfare expertise. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone companies are moving to establish joint production in a number of European countries, including Denmark, Britain, and Germany.
Ukraine’s drone diplomacy also extends to providing training for allies.