It is Ukraine which is either cashing in on the crisis which Trump has created.
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What just happened between Saudi Arabia and Ukraine? Reports are suggesting that some sort of a deal for Ukraine to supply Saudi Arabia with drones is being worked out, despite denials by Riyadh in Reuters.
Saudi state oil giant Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, according to some outlets in Ukraine, is in talks with at least two Ukrainian companies about purchasing interceptor drones to defend oil infrastructure from Iranian drone attacks, referring to The Wall Street Journal report on March 12, citing sources.
Aramco has held discussions with Ukrainian manufacturers SkyFall and Wild Hornets, which produce drones that intercept hostile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by ramming them or detonating nearby, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Such a deal is a real milestone in the Iran war which Donald Trump started based on advice from real estate cronies and is now regretting bitterly and wants to stop, according to a number of reports. In practical terms, these talks represent a major new world order as they spell out in no uncertain terms that America’s role in the region, and indeed its relations with Gulf countries, is over. GCC leaders have failed to hold back their anger and disappointment in recent days, as their countries have been vulnerable to Iranian missile attacks which their own U.S.-supplied defence batteries have been unsuccessful in stopping. Much worse, the stocks of such missiles were very low and were unable to be replenished by the U.S., which or less left its “partners” trapped by the daily barrage that has not only been aimed at U.S. forces and their bases in the region but has also been directed towards the oil infrastructure. Some GCC countries which rely or less entirely on oil, like Saudi Arabia, fear their economies could collapse and they could face political bedlam, if not a total revolution which ousts their elites entirely.
The news that the Saudi leader has taken such an initiative is ironic on multiple levels. Firstly, it is widely known that Mohammed bin Salman made many gestures to Donald Trump in the weeks leading up to the beginning of the so-called Iran war to strike the Iranians, while he and other GCC leaders pretended to be neutral by insisting that their own air space would not be used by the U.S. or Israel. Such hypocrisy comes with a high price. The second irony is that of all the places to go for interceptor drones, the Saudis chose Zelensky in Ukraine. Is this simply because those drones have such a good reputation and, some military experts might argue, are the only thing which has repeatedly given the Russians a run for their money on the battlefield? Or is there a geopolitical move here? If such a deal goes through, it would make MbS a key player in the war with Russia and may even place him as a key peace broker with Putin, a leader he greatly admires.
While the Europeans watch with amazement that while they (the EU) have to borrow money to give Zelensky a 90bn euro “loan” (which will never be paid off, neither by him and certainly not by Moscow), it is Ukraine which is either cashing in on the crisis which Trump has created — or worse, it is Zelensky who is looking for bigger players to help him in the war with Russia. Does this throw a spanner in the works in relations between Riyadh and Moscow? Possibly, but it is likely to irk Donald Trump, who would rather that no one else stepped into the Ukraine story limelight and stole the media oxygen. If Trump can’t resolve it all and make peace, he certainly doesn’t want anyone else to — a sort of ’no one can kick my dog, except myself’ attitude towards a peace deal which he promised he would get in 24 hours once he took office. The whole deal is bad news for Trump on so many levels, it’s hard to know where to begin.
And also a bad day for U.S. arms makers. Who would buy THAAD or Patriot systems now, after what the GCC countries have experienced and what they are planning to buy now in their place? Raytheon and Lockheed Martin shareholders might have to pull in their belts this year as the world wakes up to realise that their products are about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
The strategy of Iran to target oil infrastructure now is highly effective, as this rumoured deal is proving. Even though the Saudis have a pipeline going to the Red Sea, they are incredibly vulnerable to attacks on their oil refineries now that the Americans have left them high and dry. This does not mean they will align themselves with Iran, but it does signal that they will be open to working even closely with Russia and China over their own strategic interests and defence. The aim of Iran to move the U.S. out of the region entirely is gaining ground by the hour.
