Ukraine’s role in Bahrain and the GCC has turned a page in the wake of the ongoing US-Iran conflict from an ‘asking hand’ to a strong partner that can help provide defence support and food security.
Speaking exclusively to the GDN during his recent visit to Bahrain, the newly-appointed Ukrainian Ambassador-designate Dr Oleksander Balanutsa noted that Bahrain is an ‘important partner’ in the Gulf for Ukraine, and the countries are committed to building a broad and forward-looking agenda that reflects the interests and aspirations of both nations.
“Ukraine is really concerned about Iran’s actions, including attacks against the territory of Bahrain, other GCC countries and Jordan,” he explained. “My country has expressed its strong solidarity with Bahrain and other targeted countries, including supporting and co-sponsoring key resolutions in international organisations condemning Iran’s actions.
“Iran is imposing a serious threat for the region and for Bahrain in particular, both in terms of military attacks as well as internal subversion and the spread of hostile narratives among the population.
“Unfortunately, Ukraine understands this very well as it has been living under similar circumstances for more than four years already.”
In 2014, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine, and since 2022, the two countries have been engaged in hostilities after Russia invaded Ukraine, occupying more of its territory.
Russia describes it as a ‘special military operation’ coming to the aid of Russian-speakers in the region and putting the brakes on an expanding Nato, whereas Ukraine and its allies consider it a full-blown unprovoked war.
During intensive fighting and bombing, Ukraine has developed technical expertise in countering threats from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones.
Mr Balanutsa noted that Ukraine is ready to share practical expertise in countering threats related to UAV attacks, particularly those associated with Iranian drone technologies.
“Ukraine has developed, combat-tested, and continues to expand the use of interceptor drones designed specifically to counter enemy strike UAVs,” he explained. “Several Ukrainian defence companies are currently producing interceptor UAVs and related technologies.
“Naturally, the primary focus of Ukraine’s defence industry today remains supporting Ukraine’s defence and security forces during wartime. At the same time, Ukrainian enterprises possess the capacity to scale up production beyond domestic needs and are prepared, following the signing of the necessary agreements, to provide such systems to partner countries.
“Russia and Iran closely co-operate in the exchange of UAV technologies and operational practices. Therefore, Ukraine’s real battlefield experience in countering Russian strike drones can be highly valuable for Gulf countries facing similar potential threats.
According to analysts, Russia has peppered Ukraine with more than 57,000 Iranian-made Shahed drones since launching its invasion, the same type of mass-produced drones that Iran has been launching at its neighbours across the Middle East.
“In addition, Ukraine is capable of supplying Ukrainian-made counter-UAV solutions as part of an integrated air defence and security architecture.”
Not only would these systems bolster security, they would do so at a fraction of the cost of existing systems, reducing the asymmetry of war, military experts suggest.
Mr Balanutsa noted that training interceptor drone operators would not require excessive time and based on the structure of the current air defence system, additional counter-UAV capabilities could be integrated into it.
Beyond defence, Ukraine also has experience with logistics diversification and could help Bahrain bolster its food and economic security, the diplomat believes.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Bahrain, meeting His Majesty King Hamad as well as other key officials to discuss and expand bilateral ties.
This was the first visit to Bahrain by a Ukrainian President in more than two decades.
During the trip, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two countries’ foreign ministries to strengthen political dialogue and institutional co-operation.
“The establishment of Ukraine’s permanent diplomatic presence in Manama represents a transition from short-term crisis management towards a long-term strategic partnership between Ukraine and Bahrain,” Mr Balanutsa added. “Even before the opening of the Embassy, Ukraine and Bahrain have been steadily deepening bilateral co-operation.
“The bilateral legal framework is actively expanding. A number of additional agreements and memorandum in the economic, consular, investment, agricultural and other areas are currently under discussion and preparation.
“We hope that several of these documents will be signed in the near future, creating new opportunities for practical co-operation.”
Trade and investment, agriculture and food security, healthcare, education, innovation, tourism, cultural diplomacy and people-to-people contacts are going to be key priorities for the Ukrainian embassy, set to be established in the kingdom in the coming months.
According to Mr Balanutsa, agriculture is particularly promising. Ukraine is one of the world’s leading agricultural producers and exporters and is committed to strengthening co-operation through mutually-beneficial projects.
According to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the total volume of bilateral trade in goods between Ukraine and Bahrain in 2025 amounted to $14.88 million, representing an increase of nearly 35.3 per cent.
Ukrainian exports to Bahrain in 2025 totalled $5.26m.
The largest share of Ukrainian exports included poultry meat and edible offal ($1.45m), as well as sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oils ($0.87m).
Bahraini exports to Ukraine during 2025 amounted to $9.62m, including unwrought aluminium ($5.8m), aluminium wire ($3.25m), and plates, sheets, films, foil and strips ($0.37m).
The trade balance was in Bahrain’s favour ($4.36m).
“Food security is fundamentally a logistics and security issue, not merely a matter of agricultural production,” Mr Balanutsa added.
“Ukraine’s key lesson for the world and, particularly for the Gulf region, is that when critical maritime choke-points such as the Black Sea or the Strait of Hormuz come under threat, resilience depends on rapid logistics diversification, proactive protection of trade corridors and technology-driven adaptability.
“In modern crises, safeguarding supply chains is just as important as safeguarding borders.”
naman@gdnmedia.bh
Zelenskiy meets Western leaders – Pages 16-17
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