Russia reportedly offered to stop sharing intelligence with Iran on US military positions in the Middle East if Washington ceased supplying intelligence to Ukraine, a proposal that US officials rejected, according to Politico.
The offer was made last week by Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, during talks in Miami with White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, also a White House envoy.
The report appears to confirm earlier suspicions that Russia has been providing Tehran with targeting information.
This support is believed to have helped Iran strike US bases and infrastructure across the Middle East since the start of the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran.
Moscow’s offer, framed as a quid pro quo, would have involved halting the transfer of intelligence, including precise coordinates of US military assets, in exchange for Washington ending intelligence support to Ukraine.
The discussions come amid reports that Russia has expanded its intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, supplying satellite imagery and drone technology to assist Tehran in targeting US forces in the region, though the Kremlin has dismissed such claims as “fake news.”
The Florida talks follow broader US-Russia tensions triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which has led to tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions, making it the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Last week, the United States lifted some sanctions on Russian oil to ease fuel prices amid the escalating Middle East conflict. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the sanctions relief “certainly does not help peace.”
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