Those who defend our skies could go teach how to defend
Num momento em que os conflitos globais se entrelaçam com crescente intensidade, o presidente ucraniano Volodymyr Zelensky transformou o sofrimento acumulado nos campos de batalha em moeda diplomática, oferecendo aos Estados do Golfo o conhecimento militar duramente conquistado contra drones iranianos em troca de mediação junto a Moscovo. A proposta revela tanto a criatividade estratégica de Kiev como a sua vulnerabilidade: consciente de que o apoio ocidental pode enfraquecer à medida que a escalada entre os Estados Unidos, Israel e o Irão absorve recursos e atenções, a Ucrânia procura novos aliados em geografias improváveis. É o gesto de uma nação que aprendeu a sobreviver transformando a sua própria resistência num bem negociável.
- Zelensky propõe uma troca inédita: partilha de experiência ucraniana no combate a drones Shahed com países do Golfo, mas apenas se esses líderes convencerem Putin a aceitar um cessar-fogo.
- A oferta surge num momento de ansiedade crescente em Kiev, onde se teme que a escalada militar entre EUA, Israel e Irão desvie armas e atenção dos aliados ocidentais para o Médio Oriente.
- O conflito entre Israel, EUA e Irão já causou pelo menos 787 mortos no Irão, dez em Israel e seis entre forças americanas, com o risco de nova escalada a permanecer elevado.
- A Ucrânia tenta assim manter-se relevante para potências regionais que têm os seus próprios motivos para conter a influência iraniana, apostando que esse interesse comum supere a relutância em pressionar Moscovo.
- O sucesso desta aposta diplomática permanece incerto, mas a urgência subjacente à linguagem pragmática de Zelensky é indesmentível.
Na terça-feira, Volodymyr Zelensky apresentou uma proposta invulgar: a Ucrânia estaria disposta a partilhar com os Estados do Golfo a sua experiência no combate a drones iranianos Shahed, mas apenas mediante uma condição — que esses líderes regionais conseguissem persuadir Vladimir Putin a aceitar um cessar-fogo. A ideia emergiu de conversas recentes com responsáveis dos Emirados Árabes Unidos e de contactos planeados com outros países do Médio Oriente. Zelensky sublinhou que o seu exército acumulou um conhecimento único, forjado em anos de intercepção e destruição dos mesmos sistemas não tripulados que a Rússia adquiriu ao Irão e passou a fabricar domesticamente.
A oferta tinha contornos precisos: a cooperação militar — incluindo a troca de interceptores de defesa aérea por outros sistemas de armamento — só avançaria se os mediadores do Golfo obtivessem resultados concretos junto de Moscovo. O modelo que Zelensky tinha em mente assemelhava-se aos acordos já estabelecidos com parceiros europeus: uma troca estratégica de capacidades e conhecimento.
Por detrás desta manobra diplomática escondia-se, porém, uma preocupação mais profunda. Zelensky admitiu publicamente que o fornecimento de armas pelos aliados ocidentais poderia diminuir caso o conflito entre os Estados Unidos, Israel e o Irão se prolongasse e intensificasse, desviando recursos essenciais para o Médio Oriente. O contexto era sombrio: no sábado anterior, EUA e Israel tinham lançado ataques militares contra o Irão, que respondeu com mísseis e drones. O balanço já ultrapassava 787 mortos no Irão, dez em Israel e seis entre forças americanas.
A proposta de Zelensky era, no fundo, um apelo revestido de pragmatismo. Ao posicionar a Ucrânia como parceiro valioso na segurança regional, Kiev procurava manter-se relevante para potências que têm os seus próprios motivos para conter a influência iraniana — e, assim, incentivá-las a pressionar por uma solução negociada na Europa. Era uma aposta arriscada, e a sua eficácia permanecia em aberto.
Volodymyr Zelensky made an unusual offer on Tuesday: Ukraine would teach Gulf states how to defend themselves against Iranian drones—but only if those regional leaders could persuade Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The proposition emerged from Zelensky's recent conversations with officials in the United Arab Emirates and his planned outreach to other Middle Eastern leaders. At a press conference, he framed Ukraine's hard-won expertise as a bargaining chip. His military has spent years learning to intercept and destroy Shahed drones, the Iranian-made unmanned systems that Russia began purchasing early in its invasion and has since begun manufacturing domestically. "Those who defend our skies could go teach how to defend against Iranians," Zelensky said, emphasizing that Ukraine possessed knowledge no other nation had accumulated at such scale.
The offer came with strings attached. Zelensky was explicit: Ukraine would share this expertise and engage in broader military cooperation—including exchanging air defense interceptors for other weapons systems—only if Middle Eastern leaders succeeded in brokering a truce with Moscow. "If they are launching missiles at us, with all respect, we are here and we will defend our state," he said, making clear that continued Ukrainian military engagement against Russia took priority. The cooperation he envisioned resembled arrangements Ukraine already maintained with European partners: a strategic exchange of capabilities and knowledge.
But beneath this diplomatic maneuver lay a deeper anxiety. In recent hours, Zelensky had acknowledged growing concern about the sustainability of Western military aid. Speaking to Italy's Corriere della Sera, he warned that weapons shipments from allied nations could diminish if the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran intensified and prolonged. The math was stark: if his partners needed to redirect resources toward the Middle East, Ukraine's own supply lines could suffer.
The timing underscored the interconnectedness of global conflicts. On Saturday, the United States and Israel had launched military strikes against Iran, targeting what they described as imminent threats from the Iranian regime. Tehran responded with volleys of missiles and drones aimed at American bases in the region and Israeli targets. The exchange had already exacted a heavy toll: at least 787 people killed in Iran according to the Iranian Red Crescent, ten dead in Israel, and six among American forces. The numbers were still climbing, and the risk of further escalation remained real.
Zelensky's offer was, in essence, a plea wrapped in pragmatism. By positioning Ukraine as a valuable partner in Middle Eastern security, he hoped to keep his country relevant to regional powers and, more importantly, to incentivize those powers to push for a settlement in Europe. It was a gamble that Gulf state interests in countering Iranian threats might outweigh their reluctance to pressure Russia. Whether such leverage would prove sufficient remained uncertain, but the desperation beneath the diplomatic language was unmistakable.
Citações Notáveis
Those who defend our skies could go teach how to defend against Iranians— Volodymyr Zelensky
If they are launching missiles at us, with all respect, we are here and we will defend our state— Volodymyr Zelensky
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would Zelensky offer something Ukraine clearly needs for itself—expertise in air defense—to countries that have no direct stake in the Ukraine war?
Because he's trying to create one. If Gulf states see Ukraine as essential to their own security, they become invested in Ukraine's survival. And more importantly, they become motivated to negotiate with Putin.
But he's conditioning the offer on a ceasefire. That seems backwards—wouldn't he want to give the expertise first, build the relationship?
Not if he's running out of time. He's worried that Western weapons are about to get diverted to the Middle East. He needs to move quickly, to make Ukraine seem like the better investment.
So this is really about fear of abandonment?
Yes. The Iran-Israel escalation is a threat to Ukraine's survival in a way most people haven't noticed yet. If America and its allies get pulled into a bigger Middle East conflict, Ukraine gets forgotten.
Is the offer genuine, then? Would Ukraine actually send its soldiers to teach Gulf states?
Probably, if the ceasefire happened. But that's the whole point—he's betting it won't. He's using the offer as a negotiating tool, not a promise.
What does he actually want?
A ceasefire, obviously. But failing that, he wants to remind the world that Ukraine has something valuable to offer. He wants to matter.