Russia has been helping Iran take out U.S. air power in the Middle East, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has proof.
Zelenskyy said he was "100 percent” confident Russia was sharing satellite images of U.S. air bases in the Middle East and other intelligence to help Iran target U.S. military infrastructure in the region, including a recent strike that wounded American service members, reported NBC News.
“I think that it’s in Russia’s interest to help Iranians, and I don’t believe — I know — that they share information,” Zelenskyy said. “Do they help Iranians? Of course. How many percent? One-hundred percent.”
Zelenskyy, speaking Saturday in Qatar, shared a summary of the daily presidential briefing he receives from Ukraine’s intelligence agencies, and that report showed Russian satellites had captured images of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 20, 23 and 25, which he said indicated attack planning, and Iran did strike the base on March 26.
“We know that if they make images once, they are preparing," Zelenskyy said. "If they make images a second time, it’s like a simulation. The third time it means that in one or two days, they will attack."
The briefing did not include evidence of the Russian satellite images or indicated how Ukraine learned of it, but NBC News has previously reported that Russia was providing intelligence to Iran, and President Donald Trump admitted as much to Fox News two weeks ago.
“I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah," Trump said. “I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right? Yeah, we’re helping them also, and he says that, and China would say the same thing, you know. It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness.' They do it, and we do it.”
Zelenskyy said he hoped that U.S. military operations against Iran did not divert weapons away from Ukraine's war against Russia, and he said Russian President Vladimir Putin was hoping for a "long war" in the Middle East.
“[Putin] has benefits, a lot of benefits, of this war,” he said. “If sanctions are lifted, [Putin] will get more money, much more money, and he will put this money to weapons.”
U.S. efforts to negotiate a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia have slowed even further since Trump launched war agains Iran, and Zelenskyy paused when asked whether he believes Trump cares about his nation's future.
“I hope so,” he said. “You know the policy of the United States today. They care about the United States more. It’s understandable, by the way. We understand it and I think that the American team is very open about it.”