Ukraine Offered US Anti-Iranian Drone Technologies. US Wasn't Interested, Now Considers It 'Biggest Blunder'

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a "Shahed" kamikaze drone. Photo by the Office of the President of Ukraine

During a closed meeting at the White House on August 18 last year, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered President Trump interceptor drones. This was seen as a way to strengthen ties and, according to one official, to express gratitude for US support in combating Russian aggression.

As Axios claims, the Ukrainian side even prepared a PowerPoint presentation for American officials, which showed a map of the Middle East and contained a prophetic warning: "Iran is improving the design of its "Shahed" kamikaze drone."

The presentation proposed the idea of creating "anti-drone hubs" in Turkey, Jordan, and the Persian Gulf states, where US bases are located, to counter the threat from Iran and its proxies.

"We wanted to build 'drone walls' and everything necessary, for example, radars and so on," the publication quotes an unnamed Ukrainian official as saying.

The Ukrainian side approached the proposal pragmatically, framing it as a business partnership in true Trump "the art of the deal" style: Ukraine would provide know-how and create jobs in the US. The presentation noted that Kyiv could help create up to 20 million units of weaponry to ensure American dominance in the drone sector.

Павялічыць

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. August 18, 2025. Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images

In exchange for providing the US access to its drone production, counter-drone systems, and know-how, Ukraine asked for the opportunity to buy American weapons.

"Our problem is working capital. Our resources allowed us to produce only 50% of what we are capable of. Therefore, we wanted the US to invest the remaining 50% and have a share in the production," an Ukrainian official noted and added:

"At that meeting... in August, Trump asked his team to work on this, but it came to nothing."

An American official who saw the presentation confirmed to the publication that Zelenskyy's team had shown it to the administration. According to him, some in the Trump administration were skeptical of Zelenskyy, considering him an excessive "self-promoter" from a satellite country that did not command enough respect in Washington.

"We thought, that's Zelensky in his style. Someone decided not to buy into it," the official said.

Last Thursday, the US officially appealed to Zelenskyy for help in combating drones, The New York Times reports. And on Friday, the US announced plans to deploy its own Merops counter-drone system amid complaints from US Arab allies about drone attacks.

The publication notes that one official called the American response to Iranian drones "disappointing." Another admitted that Ukrainian drones would have been useful if they had been deployed earlier, although he called American performance in the theater of operations "excellent."

The White House states that the operation is proceeding successfully, and the number of attacks has decreased by 90%. Nevertheless, the need for new technologies is so high that even Trump's sons on Monday announced a new commercial venture for supplying Ukrainian drone technologies to the Pentagon.

As the publication notes, citing two American officials, ignoring Ukraine's proposal in August could be one of the Trump administration's biggest tactical blunders.

Cheap Iranian "Shaheds" have caused the deaths of seven American servicemen. American forces had to spend millions of dollars on expensive missiles to intercept drones, which cost only between $20,000 and $50,000. Ukrainian interceptors, however, are much cheaper.

"If there was a tactical mistake or blunder that we made on the eve of this [war in Iran], then this is it," an American official admitted.

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