Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to share Ukraine's expertise in countering Iranian Shahed drones with the United States and Gulf partners in exchange for additional Patriot missiles and interceptors, Bloomberg reported on March 5. Zelensky said Ukraine faces a deficit of Patriot munitions and argued that its lower-cost interceptor drones could reduce reliance on expensive U.S.-made systems currently being used in the Middle East.

Ukraine has faced sustained Shahed drone attacks since 2022 and has developed mass-produced interceptor drones and other low-cost defenses to counter them. EU officials have warned that U.S. munitions used in the Middle East may reduce supplies available to Ukraine, even as strikes on Iran could disrupt arms transfers from Tehran to Moscow.