- March 17, 2026
- 8:07 pm
- World News
On March 14–16, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made several public signals addressed not only to the West in general but also to Israel specifically. The most substantial of these was voiced in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, published on March 16: Zelensky stated that Russia helped Iran improve Shahed drones, and now the same war experience already threatens Israel, Gulf countries, and American forces in the region. There he directly formulated the idea of an exchange: Israel has what Ukraine needs, and Ukraine has what Israel might need.
For the Israeli audience, this interview is important not only because of the phrase itself.
Against the backdrop of war in the region, a shortage of expensive interceptors, and the growing role of cheap drones, Zelensky effectively invites Jerusalem to view Ukraine not as a distant European war but as a country that has been living within the threat now facing the Middle East for several years. Reuters recently reported separately that the US, Qatar, and other partners are already discussing Ukrainian solutions for intercepting Shahed with Kyiv, including cheap systems and experience exchange.
What exactly did Zelensky say in the interview
The main line of the interview was extremely tough. Zelensky stated that Ukraine has become a kind of testing ground where Shahed evolved: from early versions at the start of the big war to current modifications, which, according to him, can no longer be compared to what was used in 2022.
He claims that Russia not only used Iranian drones but gradually helped develop this class of weapons, relying on combat experience from mass strikes on Ukrainian territory.
“We saw some details about one of the Shaheds that was destroyed in one of the Middle Eastern countries,” he said. “Sorry, I won’t tell you because we agreed not to disclose publicly in which country this happened.”
Separately, he said that Iran, according to his version, transferred licenses to Russia for production, helped build two factories, and participated in training at an early stage. This is an important part of his argument: in Zelensky’s logic, it’s no longer about a “supplier-buyer” scheme. He describes a full-fledged military-technological exchange that over time began to work both ways.
The most sensitive part of the interview is the assertion that Moscow is likely already sharing updated technological solutions with Tehran. Zelensky referred to details of a Shahed shot down in the Middle East, where, according to him, Russian components were found. But here it’s important to draw a clear line: at the moment, in the published interview, this is presented precisely as a statement by the President of Ukraine, not as an independently confirmed editorial investigation with disclosed evidence.
Why this sounds like an appeal specifically to Israel
In the interview, Zelensky separately confirmed that the Israeli side reached out to him to arrange a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and emphasized that he is ready for dialogue. The formula was extremely clear: “He has what I need, and I have what he needs.” This is no longer rhetoric of general sympathy. This is an invitation to a pragmatic conversation — about air defense, drone interception, detection technologies, and tactics for protecting civilian infrastructure.
And this is not an empty diplomatic metaphor. Reuters reported on March 5 that the US and Qatar are discussing Ukrainian means to combat Shahed with Kyiv, and a Ukrainian delegation has already shared relevant experience in Doha and Abu Dhabi.
On March 17, Reuters separately wrote that Ukrainian interceptors and approaches to combating drones are becoming a subject of growing interest in Gulf countries. In other words, Ukrainian experience has already begun to turn into exportable military expertise.
This is no longer a plea for sympathy but an offer of a deal
The strength of the interview is that Zelensky speaks to Israel not in the language of abstract morality but in the language of mutual benefit. Ukraine has indeed gained enormous practical experience in countering Shahed — not in a laboratory and not in exercises, but under daily strikes. In the interview, he talks about 350–500 Iranian drones per day, and Reuters wrote in early March that this winter Russia launched 19,000 long-range drones at Ukraine. The scale of this experience for any regional army is indeed hard to ignore.
But there is a second side. Zelensky consciously links Russia and Iran into a single threat, thereby pushing Israel towards a tougher strategic choice. For Kyiv, this is logical: if Moscow helped make Iranian drones more dangerous, then Israeli caution in relations with the Kremlin looks increasingly unsustainable. For Jerusalem, this is already an uncomfortable question because it concerns not only the war in Ukraine but also Israel’s own security.
That’s why the phrase “NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency” in this context sounds not like an editorial formula but as a direct reminder: for the Israeli reader, Zelensky’s interview is no longer an external agenda. It’s a conversation about how the experience of war in Ukraine can become part of Israel’s own defense if Tehran and Moscow continue to exchange technologies, production, and tactics.
What is confirmed in this material, and what remains a statement
It is confirmed that Zelensky indeed gave such an interview, stated his readiness for a conversation with Netanyahu, promoted the idea of experience exchange, and linked the threat to Israel with Russian-Iranian military cooperation. It is also confirmed that against the backdrop of war in the region, there is real interest in Ukrainian interception means and Ukrainian anti-drone expertise.
The main technical accusation — that Russia is already transferring specific improved solutions for Shahed to Iran, identified by the details of downed devices — has not yet been independently confirmed in the public domain. This is possible, it fits into the general logic of Moscow and Tehran’s rapprochement, but in this case, we are still dealing primarily with the public position of the Ukrainian leader, not with a disclosed package of evidence.
Why Israel should listen to this carefully
In the Middle East, it is already visible that the reliance on cheap and mass drones is changing the nature of war. Reuters wrote that after the start of the current escalation, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and over a thousand drones at Gulf countries, and analysts estimate Iran’s production capabilities at about 10,000 drones per month. Even with strong air defense, such a wave of threats exhausts the system, increases the cost of defense, and hits infrastructure.
Therefore, Zelensky’s interview should be read not as an emotional appeal “support Ukraine,” but as a warning: Ukraine has already seen tomorrow’s drone war before others.
And if Israel truly wants to understand in advance what this war looks like in the long run, it makes sense not only to listen to Kyiv but also to talk to it substantively — without old illusions that the Russian and Iranian threat contours can continue to be considered separately.