Now, after years of Ukraine asking for help, the tables have been turned and it seems clear Zelensky wants to use this moment as a diplomatic, military and financial opportunity.
Ukraine may hope for US gratitude if it can help American allies in the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia.
It may also hope to win favour among Arab nations, some of which have traditionally had close links with Russia and have tried to avoid taking sides in the Ukraine conflict.
Delegations from the Gulf have already arrived in Kyiv for discussions. One source said some had been told to stay in Ukraine’s capital until they agreed a deal. The UK is said to be looking for ways of helping Qatar.
Zelensky may also hope that, by giving Gulf partners adequate air defences, he will discourage them from using expensive and scarce Patriot missiles to bring down cheap drones.
Ukraine faces a shortage of Patriot air defences, and Kyiv will not want too many diverted and wasted in the Middle East.
Zelensky told journalists on Thursday that about 800 Patriot PAC-3 missiles had been used already in recent days – more than Ukraine has received during the entire war.
He suggested a swap: “We would like to quietly work with countries – both those we can name and those we cannot – to obtain for ourselves some of the deficit missiles for Patriot systems and transfer the appropriate number of [drone] interceptors.”