Kyiv’s Drone Diplomacy Makes Ukraine A Power In Global Geopolitics

BusinessPolicyKyiv’s Drone Diplomacy Makes Ukraine A Power In Global GeopoliticsByMelik Kaylan,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Melik Kaylan covered global geostrategic conflicts for three decades Follow AuthorMay 25, 2026, 06:13am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Ukraine's Drone expertise has opened the doors to collaboration with Gulf countries in ways that could displace US military options (Photo by Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)Getty ImagesHaving turned things around on the battlefield and changed the nature of modern warfare in the process, Ukraine is now about to transform the world in yet another leap forward - by becoming a geopolitical power. Hitherto, most countries who worked with Ukraine did so as providers of support. That they did so in drip-feed style, often too little too late, forced Kiev to develop its own initiatives for survival. That habit of enforced self-sufficiency has now allowed it to move from defense to offense on multiple fronts, including the area of geopolitical influence - an area in which no one thought it could compete against Russia. Until now. Here are some instances: most recently Kyiv has offered to help Moldova militarily contain the next-door threat of Moscow’s client enclave, Transnistria, with troops and advisers and tech knowhow. This is a particularly shrewd gambit - on multiple symbolic and practical levels. It counters Russia’s moves on a wider chess board that will affect Ukraine - in this case the Kremlin’s attempt to intimidate Europe from its eastern flank to stop helping Ukraine. It demonstrates to European countries that Ukraine will defend Europe against direct threats, even if the EU can’t or won’t, by making direct deals with member states. It pre-empts the menace of a looming political upheaval in nearby Romania where a pro-Moscow populist seems likely to win office in the...