"Nearly seven months ago, Ukrainian officials tried to sell the U.S. their battle-proven technology for downing Iranian-made attack drones. They even made a PowerPoint presentation obtained exclusively by Axios showing how it could protect American forces and their allies in a Middle East war.
The Trump administration dismissed the Ukrainians, only to reverse course last week because of more-than-expected drone strikes from Iran, Axios' Marc Caputo, Barak Ravid and Colin Demarest write.
Why it matters: Snubbing Ukraine's offer ranks as one of the administration's biggest tactical miscalculations since the bombing of Iran began Feb. 28, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
Iran's inexpensive Shahed drones have been linked to the deaths of seven U.S. service members and have cost the U.S. and its friends in the region millions of dollars to intercept.
"If there's a tactical error or a mistake we made leading up to this [war in Iran], this was it," a U.S. official acknowledged.
Zoom in: Ukraine is the world's most experienced country in combating Shaheds, which Russia has bought, reproduced and labeled as Geran drones by the thousands for its invasion of its western neighbor.
Ukraine has developed a low-cost interceptor drone, among other sensors and air defenses, to shoot down Shaheds.
Ukrainian PowerPoint includes a proposal for Drone Combat Hubs across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Inside the room: At a closed-door White House meeting on Aug. 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered the interceptor drones to President Trump as a way to strengthen ties.
The Ukrainians made a PowerPoint presentation to U.S. officials that displayed a map of the Middle East and had this prophetic warning: "Iran is improving its Shahed one-way-attack drone design."
The presentation included the idea of creating "drone combat hubs" in Turkey, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states, where U.S. bases are located, to address the threat from Iran and its proxies.
"We wanted to build the 'drone walls' and all the things necessary like the radar, et cetera," a Ukrainian official said.
The intrigue: A U.S. official who saw the PowerPoint said Zelensky's team showed the presentation to the administration. "We figured it was Zelensky being Zelensky," the official said. "Somebody decided not to buy it."
Zelensky told The New York Times that the U.S. requested anti-drone help last Thursday. He said that the next day, he dispatched interceptor drones and a team of drone experts to help protect U.S. bases in Jordan."
Axios
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