Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 2, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleZelenskiy on April 2 offered Ukraine’s Black Sea maritime expertise—including sea‑drone warfare—to help reopen and keep the Strait of Hormuz navigable amid Middle East conflict.
April 2 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday offered to provide Ukraine's expertise in dealing with freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to countries considering how to keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid conflict in the Middle East.
Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had taken part in a virtual meeting devoted to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, attended by about 40 countries.
"Ukraine has relevant expertise concerning sea waterways, concerning the defence and reopening of maritime traffic," he said.
"If (our) partners are ready to act we will consider how we can strengthen them, how we can apply our expertise, knowledge and technological potential."
Zelenskiy offered no further details.
Ukrainian forces have developed technology, including sea drones, that has enabled them during four years of war to score notable successes over Russian ships in the Black Sea and kept Moscow from controlling the waterway.
The president embarked last week on a tour of Middle Eastern countries as part of a drive to provide them with defence technology it has developed in four years of countering drones, many of them designed in Iran.
He said he was expecting a report on progress in the issue on Friday from Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's top negotiator in talks on reaching a settlement to the war.
On Wednesday, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine was already cooperating with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan, and was also in contact with Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq. The government team was also in talks on potential agreements with Turkey and other countries.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Bogdan Kochubey; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Ukraine offers its experience in ensuring freedom of navigation and defending sea waterways, developed during conflict in the Black Sea.
Countries including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Turkey have engaged in talks or cooperation with Ukraine.
Ukraine has developed technologies like sea drones, which have been used successfully against Russian ships in the Black Sea.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha represented Ukraine in the virtual meeting attended by about 40 countries.
Ukraine's offer aims to strengthen international efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and safe for maritime traffic amid regional conflicts.
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