Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called his tour of several Middle East countries a success and added that he had signed a number of cooperation agreements and that others were in the pipeline, Reuters reported.
Zelensky visited the region to offer Ukraine's expertise on how to counter drone attacks launched by Iran in the course of Tehran's conflict with the United States and Israel, which is increasingly affecting countries in the Middle East.
The Ukrainian president offered to share Kiev's experience in the more than four-year war with Russia, which relies on Iranian-developed drones for its strikes.
In his daily evening video address, made after his return to Kiev, Zelensky said he had signed "historic agreements" with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
According to him, Ukraine is also working with Jordan and Kuwait, and two other Middle Eastern countries - Bahrain and Oman - have expressed interest in cooperation.
"For Ukraine, this is not only a matter of prestige and respect for its people. It is about something very concrete and practical. "We are exporting our defense system, the skills of our fighters and the knowledge that our state possesses," Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine had expected to establish "cooperation in the security sphere", which included discussing issues of air defense, the development of military equipment production and cooperation in the energy sector.
Zelensky stressed that issues of arms sales should be resolved at the government level and warned Ukrainian companies not to conduct direct negotiations with customers.
During his tour, the Ukrainian president said he had discussed the supply of diesel fuel from the region, which is of key importance for Ukraine's defense needs and the agricultural sector.
In his address, Zelensky said he had met with "great respect" on Ukraine's role in the Middle East and a "shared vision among the countries of the region" for joint work with Ukrainian specialists.
"Security and restoring stability are key priorities for everyone," the Ukrainian leader summarized.