How the Iran War Has Unexpectedly Strengthened Ukraine’s Diplomatic Hand — Is a Ceasefire With Russia Closer?

BBC Europe editor Katya Adler analyses how the US-Israeli war in Iran has inadvertently created new diplomatic opportunities for Ukraine, and how Kyiv is deftly leveraging the situation to strengthen its international position.

Zelensky’s Gulf Diplomacy

In March 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, serious-faced and clad in black, strolled down a lilac carpet in Saudi Arabia. This moment marked an unexpected turning point — against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war in Iran, Zelensky flew to the Gulf to publicly showcase Kyiv’s battlefield-tested expertise in drone warfare.

“We want to help [Gulf states] defend themselves, and we will continue building such partnerships with other countries,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine says it has now signed deals with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar to share drone expertise and technology — all three countries have been hit by Iranian missiles and drones in recent weeks.

The War’s Dual Impact

Initially, the impact of the Iran conflict seemed overwhelmingly negative for Ukraine: it threatened to divert Donald Trump’s already wavering attention from orchestrating peace efforts between Moscow and Kyiv toward the Middle East. Meanwhile, Russia has been able to sell more of its oil at higher prices, as tankers carrying Middle Eastern oil cannot cross the Iran-bordering Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has even renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil to cope with spiralling global energy costs. With more money, Russia can — in theory — prosecute its war in Ukraine for longer.

Ukraine’s Counter-Strategy

Yet since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has consistently confounded international expectations. And it has done so again: Ukraine is attempting to turn the impact of the Iran war to its advantage, positioning itself in the strongest possible stance for eventual peace negotiations with Russia.

On Wednesday, Trump said he was confident a “solution” over Ukraine could be reached “relatively quickly” following a “very good” conversation with Vladimir Putin.

In the meantime, Zelensky has focused on bolstering Ukraine where he can. Opportunism is arguably one of his most potent weapons.

Drone Diplomacy

Saudi Arabia has faced the same type of ballistic missile and drone attacks from Iran that Russia barrages Ukraine with. One of Moscow’s most powerful weapons has been the Iranian-designed, low-cost, long-range Shahed-136 attack drone and its updated version, the Geran.

While a Shahed can cost between $80,000 and $130,000, Zelensky says it can be intercepted with systems costing as little as $10,000 — far cheaper than traditional air defence missiles which cost millions.

With Russian drone sightings reported in several European cities, NATO countries have been paying close attention.

Ukraine signed two substantial defence cooperation agreements with European allies in April: one with Norway worth $8.6 billion as part of a $28 billion package of support until 2030, and another with Germany valued at $4.7 billion, including “various types of drones, missiles, software and modern defence systems.”

Source: BBC News - The Iran war has strengthened Ukraine in surprising ways