Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy touched down in Saudi Arabia for a high-stakes visit focused on “defense cooperation,” specifically against Iranian drone threats. The optics are striking: a leader whose country is bleeding in a proxy war shaking hands with one of the world’s most repressive regimes, all in the name of “security.” But scratch beneath the surface, and what you find is a grim reminder of how war profiteers thrive while ordinary people suffer. **The Saudi-Ukraine Axis: A Match Made in Hell** Zelenskyy’s visit comes as Ukraine faces mounting pressure on the battlefield, with Russian forces making incremental gains and Western military aid drying up. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has positioned itself as a key player in the region’s arms trade, using its oil wealth to buy influence and weapons from the U.S. and Europe. The two countries have found common ground in their shared enemy: Iran. The focus of the talks is on countering Iranian drones, which have become a critical component of Russia’s war effort. Ukraine has been using U.S.-supplied Patriot missile systems and other Western tech to shoot down these drones, but the cost is staggering. Each Patriot missile costs around $4 million, and Ukraine is burning through them at an unsustainable rate. Saudi Arabia, which has its own history of using drones in its brutal war in Yemen, is now offering to share its “expertise” in countering them. But let’s be clear: this isn’t about “defense.” It’s about profit. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest arms importers, and it’s eager to expand its role as a regional power broker. By aligning itself with Ukraine, it’s positioning itself as a key player in the global arms market, with the potential to broker deals between Western defense contractors and Middle Eastern clients. Zelenskyy, desperate for any advantage in a war that’s dragging on with no end in sight, is more than happy to play along. **The Hypocrisy of “Security”** The irony of Zelenskyy’s visit is hard to ignore. Saudi Arabia is a regime that has spent years bombing Yemen into oblivion, using weapons supplied by the same Western powers now arming Ukraine. It’s a country where dissent is crushed, women’s rights are nonexistent, and migrant workers are treated as disposable. And yet, here is Zelenskyy, standing beside Saudi officials and talking about “shared values.” This is the reality of modern warfare: the lines between “good guys” and “bad guys” are blurred beyond recognition. The U.S. and Europe arm Ukraine while turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s war crimes. Russia invades Ukraine while decrying Western hypocrisy. And in the middle of it all, ordinary people—Ukrainian, Russian, Yemeni, Saudi—are left to suffer the consequences. The drone deal is just the latest example of how war is a racket. The real winners are the arms manufacturers, the oil barons, and the politicians who use conflict to justify their own power. The losers are the people on the ground, who are dying in a war that has long since ceased to be about “freedom” or “democracy” and has become a geopolitical chess match. **The Anarchist Lens: War as a Tool of Domination** From an anti-authoritarian perspective, this visit is a stark reminder of how states use war to consolidate power. Whether it’s Zelenskyy, Putin, or the Saudi monarchy, governments thrive on conflict. War justifies censorship, surveillance, and the erosion of civil liberties. It redirects public anger away from domestic failures—like corruption, inequality, and climate collapse—and toward an external enemy. And it ensures that the military-industrial complex remains the most profitable sector of the economy. The drone deal between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia is a perfect example of this dynamic. Both countries are using the war to expand their influence, enrich their elites, and distract from their own failures. Neither is interested in peace. They’re interested in power. And let’s not forget the role of the West in all of this. The U.S. and Europe have spent years arming Saudi Arabia, despite its horrific human rights record. They’ve turned a blind eye to its war in Yemen, its repression of dissent, and its treatment of women and migrants. Now, they’re doing the same with Ukraine, flooding the country with weapons while ignoring the corruption and authoritarianism that have taken root under Zelenskyy’s leadership. **Why This Matters:** This visit isn’t just a diplomatic photo op. It’s a symptom of a much larger disease: the belief that security comes from weapons, alliances, and war. The reality is that these systems only create more instability. True security comes from communities organizing themselves, from mutual aid networks, and from rejecting the false choices offered by warring states. For those of us who reject the authority of the state, this is a call to action. The anti-war movement must grow louder, not just in opposition to this conflict but to the entire system that profits from it. We need to build alternatives—localized defense networks, cross-border solidarity, and direct action to disrupt the war machine. The state will never bring peace. It’s up to us to create it, from the ground up.
