Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman, March 29, 2026

Sunday’s Coverage Zelensky’s Defense Agreements With Gulf States

UPDATE 1939 GMT:

The European Union has approved a €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) defense program to boost industry and prepare for Ukraine’s integration into the bloc.

The initiative aims to strengthen Europe’s defense capabilities by boosting production and improving joint procurement.

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said, “Member States, Norway, and — as a first for an EU defence industrial program — Ukraine and their industries can seize funding opportunities to strengthen defense cooperation and ramp up production.”

UPDATE 1823 GMT:

Ukraine will supply weapons and defense technology to Gulf countries, including systems that can help unblock the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian control, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters.

“All agreements that will be legally formalized are extremely important for our country,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine has never had such agreements with this region before.”

Ukraine will offer sea drones as part of the defense of the Strait. Zelensky explained, “[The Gulf States] know that they can count on our expertise in this area, and we spoke in detail about sharing our experience of the Black Sea corridor and how it functions.”

UPDATE 1811 GMT:

At least four civilians have been killed and 36 injured by Russian attacks over the past day across Ukraine.

Air defenses intercepted 150 of 164 drones. The Russians also launched an Iskander ballistic missile.

At least 12 drones and the missile evaded defenses and struck seven locations.

In the Donetsk region in the east, three people were killed and 21 wounded.

In the Kherson region in the south, one civilian was murdered and four injured.

Casualties were also reported from the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

UPDATE 1756 GMT:

The Trump Administration has allowed a Russian tanker carrying crude oil to reach Cuba, breaking an American blockade.

Donald Trump said that, despite his threats against the island, “We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload because they have to survive. If a country wants to send some oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not.”

The tanker, Anatoly Kolodkin, carried 650,000 to 730,000 barrels of crude oil. The Russian Transport Ministry confirmed that the shipment arrived in the country.

The tanker is sanctioned by the US, the European Union, and the UK.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the country had not received oil imports for three months, leading to strict gasoline rationing and repeated nationwide power outages.

UPDATE 1322 GMT:

Ukraine has apologized for two drones that fell on Finnish territory.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi said the drones were not heading toward Finland, but were likely downed by Russian electronic warfare systems.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, “Alex and I share the same view of this situation. We are providing all the necessary information.”

UPDATE 1310 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says, “We have received signals from some of our partners on how to reduce our responses to the oil sector, the energy sector of the Russian Federation.”

Zelensky did not identify the countries but has repeatedly referred to the Trump Administration, which has spurred a global energy crisis with the US-Israel War on Iran, as “partners”.

The President say Ukraine will stop attacks on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops attacking Ukrainian infrastructure.

Normal people who respect life are talking about a ceasefire for life, not just a few days. But we are certainly ready for any compromise, except for compromises with our dignity and sovereignty.

UPDATE 0912 GMT:

Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a chemical plant in the Samara region in southwest Russia overnight.

Photos and videos on social media showed smoke rising from the area of the Kuibyshev Azot chemical plant in Tolyatti.

Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev reported a drone attack on a “industrial enterprise in Tolyatti” without providing additional details. He said there were no casualties.

Ukraine also targeted the plant on March 21, starting a fire.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky continued his Middle East tour with a visit to Jordan on Sunday.

Zelensky has travelled through the region since Friday, meeting leaders and signing defense cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.

Ukraine has enhanced its position by supplying anti-drone weapons and experts to the Gulf States and Jordan amid the US-Israel War on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes.

Zelensky posted about his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II:

Earlier on Sunday, Zelensky summarized the past week of Russian strikes, with 40 missiles, more than 3,000 attack drone, and more than 1,450 guided bombs.

Ukraine is being attacked with essentially the same strike drones as those used against countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region. Ballistic weapons are used against us just as cynically as they are against our partners. The destabilization of global markets and the blocking of maritime routes have not left a single country unaffected. We are making our contribution to guaranteeing security.

The latest Russian attacks murdered three civilians and injured 13 in Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

The Russians launched two waves of attacks, two hours apart. Other cities and towns struck included Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka and Sloviansk.