When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on X earlier in March that Ukraine had received a request from the US “for specific support in protection against ‘shaheds’ in the Middle East region”, it seemed to mark a significant role reversal in a relationship that had been shaped so far by Russia’s war with Ukraine that has been ongoing since February 2022.To date, the US has provided total aid — humanitarian, financial, and military — of over $115 billion to Ukraine, according to a tracker maintained by the German think-tank Kiel Institute. But the amount of allocated aid has drastically dropped since US President Donald Trump returned for a second term last year.In an interview with The New York Times on Friday (March 13), Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has sent interceptor drones and a team of drone experts to protect US military bases in Jordan.Although Trump rebuffed Zelenskyy’s claims in an interview to Fox News the same day, Zelenskyy called Trump’s remarks as “rhetoric” in a media interaction Saturday.So, what is behind Ukraine’s offer of help to the US and its allies in West Asia? Here’s what to know.The Shahed conundrumAt the heart of the Ukrainian offer lies the Shahed-136 kamikaze drone, which has been integral to Iran’s response to the US-Israeli onslaught. An Iranian Shahed-136 drone displayed on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (The New York Times)The Iranian drone, which costs about $20,000-30,000 apiece to make, is a one-way drone that does not return to base following an attack. Often deployed in swarms to overwhelm enemy air defences while targeting civilian areas and critical infrastructure, these low-flying drones carry explosives in their nose and dive towards their target, detonating on impact.Story continues below this adAlso in Explained | US assets are under Iran attack, but here’s why NATO doesn’t have to answer Trump’s callSo far, Iran’s strategy has been to widen the theatre of conflict across West Asia by striking US military bases in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain — all considered US allies — besides Israel. This has been extended to non-military targets as well, which include civilian neighbourhoods and energy facilities, besides reported attacks on desalination plants.The use of Shahed drones has highlighted the economics of warfare: the US and its allies so far have been using American-made Patriot missiles to intercept Shaheds. But a single Patriot interceptor missile, which costs up to $4 million, used to shoot down a Shahed worth $30,000 illustrates the disproportionate cost that Iran is seeking to inflict on the US and its regional allies.Also, these missiles are in short supply. The NYT reported that only 620 of the most advanced Patriot missiles were delivered to militaries in 2025 — a record level.Over time, Iran reportedly has produced and stockpiled thousands of Shahed drones. Even though US and Israeli strikes on Iranian launch sites have slowed the pace of Iran’s attacks, Iran has launched more than 2,000 drones since the war began on February 28 — this already exceeds the number it used during the 12-Day War with Israel in June 2025 — and is projected to fire up to 5,000 over the course of a month, according to an analysis by the Hudson Institute.Story continues below this adRussia was one of the early adopters of the technology: it bought Shahed drones before it modified and rebranded them as “Geran”, which it then deployed from the early months of its invasion of Ukraine. A Russian Shahed-style drone intercepted by Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, July 16, 2025. (The New York Times)Ukraine, which initially used Patriot missiles and other expensive interceptors it received as part of US military aid, soon realised the nature of asymmetric warfare at play. As the adage goes, necessity is the mother of invention: Ukraine adapted quickly to develop counter-drone technology such as sensors and microphones that can recognise the Shahed’s acoustic signature (it has a lawnmower-like sound) and issue alerts for tracking them in real time. It also deployed truck-mounted machine guns and electronic jammers.Expert Explains | As war drags into third week, what Iran is looking to achievePart of Ukraine’s successful air defence lies in its mass-produced, economical interceptor drones called Sting, manufactured by Ukrainian military technology firm Wild Hornets. Pilots with first-person view goggles can manoeuvre these portable drones, which are then used to crash into enemy drones in a manner similar to Shaheds.American companies as well as the US Department of Defense (DOD) have also taken note: The Wall Street Journal reported that despite spending billions of dollars trying to develop small drones in recent years, US startups were now looking towards Ukraine for innovation. In numbers, the gap seems stark: although the US technically can build up to 100,000 drones a year (according to DOD estimates), Ukraine produced more than two million drones in 2025.Story continues below this adThe department recently awarded contracts to two US-Ukrainian partnerships for the first time to test their long-range attack drones in Ukraine. Upon successful trials, they would compete for production contracts with the Pentagon.Another US anti-drone system, Merops, has been developed with the help of Ukrainian soldiers. Merops, which uses small, cheap interceptor drones, has been deployed to counter thousands of long-range Russian attack drones. NYT reported that the system has proven so effective that the US was racing to deliver thousands of these interceptors to West Asia to protect troops against Iranian drones, citing US military officials.Interestingly, Axios reported last week that Ukrainian officials had tried to sell their battle-proven technology for downing Shahed-like drones to the US nearly seven months ago, but had been turned down by the Trump administration.Units of the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS drones at a base in the U S Central Command operating area, Nov. 23, 2025. (CENTCOM/NYT)Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced earlier this month that it deployed its own one-way attack drone, modelled on Shahed, in Iran for the first time in combat. Called LUCAS (Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System), it costs about $35,000 apiece.The Ukrainian gambitStory continues below this adIn the US’s eyes, Ukraine is attempting to draw a clear distinction with Russia, which is reportedly helping Iran with intelligence inputs such as locations of US military forces across the Gulf region. Trump seemed to admit as much in his Fox News interview, saying that Russia “may be helping them a bit”.In the NYT interview, Zelenskyy said that though he wanted to help countries in West Asia, he needed to “balance those requests with Ukraine’s needs at home”. Ukraine has also said it will provide assistance in exchange for diplomatic help in pushing Russia towards a ceasefire.Moreover, the war in West Asia risks cutting off supplies of munitions that Ukraine desperately requires to counter Russian ballistic missiles. It has even offered its interceptor drones to countries in the Gulf region in exchange for more powerful systems such as the Patriot interceptor missiles.For context, reports suggest that West Asian countries fired more than 800 Patriot missiles in the first few days of the war, as opposed to the estimated 600 advanced interceptors that Ukraine claims to have received in four years of its conflict with Russia.Story continues below this adLast week, Zelenskyy said in an interview that Ukraine now had “cards” as leverage in its dealings with the US. But it all comes down to whether Ukraine’s offer of help in West Asia will resonate with Trump, especially when the US President finally chooses to turn his attention to peace talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.Nobody understands this better than Zelenskyy. On Sunday, he told reporters as much: “We would very much not like the United States to step away from the issue of Ukraine because of the Middle East.”