Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of helping Tehran target U.S. military assets in the Middle East, including with satellite images ahead of Iranian strikes on an American base in Saudi Arabia.
“This morning, I was briefed that U.S. military facilities in the Middle East and the Gulf region were photographed by Russian satellites in the interests of Iran,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X late Saturday. “On March 25th, they took pictures of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
The Prince Sultan base was attacked by Iran early Saturday with ballistic missiles and drones, injuring at least 15 U.S. troops, according to media reports. The base — a joint Saudi-U.S. installation about 96 kilometers from Riyadh — had already been targeted twice earlier in the week.
Moscow has also taken satellite photographs of a U.S.-U.K. joint military facility in the Indian Ocean, as well as Kuwait International Airport and parts of the infrastructure of the Greater Burgan oil field, Zelenskyy wrote, citing a daily intelligence update. Russia also shared pictures of several bases and oilfields in Turkey and Qatar, he added.
The Kremlin has denied sharing intelligence.
Zelenskyy’s charges echo those of the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who last week accused Russia of supplying Iran with intelligence that has helped Tehran target U.S. military assets in the Middle East. Russia’s support of Iran shows why Europe needs to keep up the pressure on the Kremlin with respect to the war in Ukraine, Kallas said.
The U.S. has sent thousands more troops to the Middle East, officials announced on Saturday, including the arrival in the region of the USS Tripoli with about 2,500 U.S. Marines. U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that the amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for a naval group that also includes transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets.
The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, the Washington Post reported on Sunday. While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Friday that it is “not going to be a prolonged conflict,” the Wall Street Journal and Axios have reported that the Trump administration is considering deploying another 10,000 troops to the Middle East.
Zelenskyy had harsh words for the U.S.’s move to partially lift sanctions against Russia. The U.S. is providing a one-month waiver on sanctions to countries buying Russian oil as a measure to counter the economic impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
“Sanctions are being lifted, while the aggressor is providing intelligence to strike facilities, including those of the countries that are discussing or have already lifted sanctions,” the Ukrainian leader said, describing this as “strange.”
