JOHN YANG: Earlier this month, President Trump# said he didn't want Ukraine's help with drone## defense, saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr# Zelenskyy was the last person he'd turned to.

But, as the -- with the war with Iran# continuing, countries in the Gulf have## been lining up for Ukraine's guidance# on how to counter drones.

Just today,## Zelenskyy was in Saudi Arabia to strike a# deal with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Special correspondent Simon Ostrovsky# filed this report from Ukraine.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: At a secret location in Ukraine,## a local drone manufacturer demos its latest# weapons, a Sting drone capable of intercepting## the Iranian-designed Shahed suicide drone# Russia routinely launches into Ukraine.

The Sting is fast, accurate,# and, crucially, cheap.## Since its first successful strike a# year ago, interceptors like this one,## made by the defense tech firm Wild Hornets,# have taken out around 4,000 Shahed-type drones.

This Sting drone is a perfect example of the# asymmetric warfare that Ukrainians excel at.## It costs between $1,300 and $2,200, and# it goes up against Iranian and Russian## Shahed drones that cost around $50,000 to make.

It's a technology that until now has largely been## ignored by America's defense tech industry# that's traditionally focused on making## exquisite and expensive weaponry# that can take decades to develop.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States:# Don't tell us what we're going to feel.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: Instead, the White# House has stepped back from Ukrain.. appropriating no new funds for# the war since Trump took office.

This hurts Ukraine's war effort against Russia,# of course, but there are increasing concerns in## Washington that it's also making the U.S.

less# able to recognize and prepare for a host of## emerging threats from American adversaries# like Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China,## who are all working together and absorbing# lessons from the Ukrainian battlefield.

Now the Iran war has exposed America's# overreliance on multimillion-dollar## munitions to shoot down cheap Iranian Shaheds,# according to Wild Hornets spokesman Alex Roslin,## who argues the math just doesn't make sense.

ALEX ROSLIN, Spokesperson, Wild Hornets# (through translator): They're using $4## million Patriot missiles.

Patriots are scarce... Patriots to knock down Shahed drones fired by# Iran.

That's $1.2 billion of Patriots against## 300 Shaheds.

And we could have taken down those# drones with our interceptor drones for around## $600,000.

That's something that# the world could learn from Ukraine.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: Not everyone is ignoring# developments in Ukraine.

A representative## of General Cherry, another Ukrainian drone company# that makes a staggering 100,000 drones per month,## which, incidentally, is the total amount# of drones made in America annually,## said interest in their technology has# surged since the start of the Iran war.

Did the interest in joint# production, joint manufacturing,## did it increase after the war in Iran started?

MARKO KUSHNIR, Communications Director, General# Cherry: Yes, they have a lot of interest in## us.

We have more than 10 different# negotiations in process right now.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: The reason it's so important# for these drones to be battle-tested is because## Ukrainian engineers from companies like# General Cherry that has designed this## new prototype are constantly improving the design.## And this one here takes the original# drone interceptor to the next level.

The reason that these workstations# are empty right now is because## the engineers who usually work here# are out in the field testing these.

MARKO KUSHNIR: Our soldiers# make it on the positions.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: General Cherry's# updated model will fly at close## to 250 miles per hour, fast enough# to take out a jet-powered Shahed.

In just a few years, the company has# managed to set up a full production line,## from 3-D-printing parts to testing# its ready drones.

A small handful## of American defense companies are actually# developing their technology out of Ukraine.

BRIAN STREEM, Founder, Vermeer: We# essentially use this to kind of capture data.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: Vermeer, founded# by New Yorker Brian Streem, is one.

BRIAN STREEM: It's just replacing the GPS antenna.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: The firm produces# navigation systems that allow drones## carrying several hundred pounds of munitions# to fly deep into enemy territory undetected,## using an A.I.-driven navigation system# that's immune to spoofing and jamming.## Vermeer's clients include the Ukrainian# armed forces and the U.S.

Air Force.

BRIAN STREEM: The Russians are very good at# jamming and spoofing GPS.

So, my company,## we build a solution for that.

We call it VPS,# visual positioning system.

Information is power.

The information I'm sharing back to# Americans is incredibly powerful,## very valuable to any nation that wants to compete# in this newfound kind of drone unmanned arms race## we appear to be involved in.

The more we kind# of pull back, we will lose out tremendously.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: America's relationship# with Ukraine has changed drastically## since Trump came into office.

In the years# following the invasion, Congress approved## massive aid and arms packages amounting to# nearly $175 billion in total since 2022,## making Ukraine the largest recipient of# U.S.

foreign assistance in modern history.

Since Trump took office, that number has# dropped to zero dollars.

While everyone## agrees that America's pivot# away from Kyiv hurts Ukraine,## some are starting to wonder# aloud if it hurts America too.

Ukrainians in terms of weapons sales.

I put this question to a panel# of security experts at a recent## U.S.-Ukraine security summit in Washington.

DEBRA CAGAN, Atlantic Council: The less# you invest, the less presence you have of## U.S.

people on the ground learning# what's going on.

And I would say,## but we have cut off our nose to spite our# face.

We're going to cost our taxpayers## hundreds of billions of dollars in failed# expertise because we're not listening.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: At the same time,# America's main adversaries, China,## Iran and North Korea, have all continued# to support their ally Russia in the## war.

As a major supplier of both the# Russian and Ukrainian defense sectors,## China is especially positioned to suck up# information from both sides of the front line.

RUSH DOSHI, Council on Foreign# Relations: The Chinese are## learning a lot from Russ.. SIMON OSTROVSKY: Rush Doshi covers China at# the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.## In 2022, when Russian invaded Ukraine, he was on# the China team at the National Security Council.## He says Beijing's own military capabilities# are advancing thanks to its backing of Moscow.

RUSH DOSHI: They have seen that the Russians# initially did not perform well.

They want to## fix that.

Second, they're learning about the# future of warfare, what exactly matters in a## conflict in the 21st century, where you have# seen the proliferation of drones and other## technology that wasn't as salient in past# conflicts.

They're learning more about that.

Third, they have learned a lot about the# need to sustain your own industrial base## and economy.

Right now, you could argue# the U.S.

has learned some of that lesson,## but we're slower to adopt that lesson and# diffuse it through our military than China.

SIMON OSTROVSKY: Recent reporting suggests# the Trump administration is learning its## lesson the hard way.

After coming under# sustained attack from Iranian Shaheds,## the American military is now working with# Ukrainian advisers in the Middle East, after## having initially refused a Ukrainian proposal# to partner on interceptor drones last year.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm# Simon Ostrovsky in Ukraine.