Ukrainian military personnel conducted active operations to shoot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the recent Iran conflict, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed in his first public acknowledgment of the operations.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces participated in defensive operations using domestically produced interceptor drones proven effective against the same Shahed weapons that Russia employs against Ukraine. The operations took place before a tentative ceasefire was reached among Iran, the United States and Israel this week. While Zelenskyy did not identify the specific countries involved, he said 228 Ukrainian experts were deployed across several nations to help strengthen their air defense systems.

"This was not about a training mission or exercises, but about support in building a modern air defense system that can actually work," Zelenskyy stated in remarks to reporters that were embargoed until Friday. The Ukrainian leader described the operations as part of broader security cooperation efforts with Middle Eastern partners.

In exchange for the military assistance, Ukraine is receiving weapons to protect its energy infrastructure, along with oil, diesel and financial arrangements. Zelenskyy characterized these partnerships as bolstering Ukraine's energy stability and said the agreements would help formalize Ukraine's defense export role.

Separately, Zelenskyy said he had invited U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv, proposing a trilateral meeting format that would include Moscow. He said the envoys were receptive but indicated they could not travel far from the U.S. president at this time. Ukraine is preparing proposals on security guarantees to present to the United States, though progress on key diplomatic issues remains limited as fighting continues along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line.