World leaders will gather at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, Poland, on 25 June to rally support for the country’s reconstruction, with the focus on security and defence for the first time. The two-day summit comes as Ukraine’s fortunes in its defence against Russia are widely thought to have improved. At the same time, Kyiv has emerged as a new security partner in the Persian Gulf.
Can Ukraine exploit its drone diplomacy to become a global security partner?
Its air defence technology has won Kyiv new friends in the Gulf – now Zelenskyy is looking to the seize the opportunity with European allies at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Poland, writes Iona Allan.
The World Today
Published 15 June 2026
Updated 17 June 2026 — 3 minute READ
Image — A Kyiv workshop run by the Ukrainian army teaches civilian and military students how to assemble and fly drones. Photo: Paula Bronstein /Getty Images.
