Drone wars: The strategic convergence between Ukraine and Iran | CNN Politics

Brett McGurk is a CNN global affairs analyst who served in senior national security positions under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Last week, an attack by unmanned drones and robots captured an enemy position on the ground. “The future is here,” said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who claimed it was the first such successful attack in human history, after describing the mechanical assault by his forces against a Russian outpost. Zelensky’s boast would be a surprise to Moscow, which believed — together with support from Iran — that it was mastering the art of drone warfare in Ukraine. Instead, Ukraine is now out-innovating Russia just as the US is degrading Iran’s drone and missile programs, which since 2023 have helped Russia sustain its brutal assaults against Ukrainian cities and towns. Seeing these two theaters — Ukraine and Iran — as interconnected can help the United States better prepare for wars of the future and remain steps ahead of its adversaries. It might also help bring the Ukraine war to a close. I was the White House’s point person on the Middle East throughout the crisis that engulfed the region afte