Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr Samuel Ramani, Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. According to Dr. Ramani, President Zelensky’s outreach to Gulf states reflects a calculated effort to reposition Ukraine within a shifting global order, where military innovation, energy politics, and diplomatic alignment intersect. This repositioning serves multiple objectives: strengthening ties with ambivalent Gulf actors, reinforcing Ukraine’s strategic value to the United States, and attracting much-needed investment into its defense and technology sectors.