❓WHAT HAPPENED: Russia offered to cease supplying intelligence to Iran if the U.S. stopped supplying Ukraine with intel about Russia.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald J. Trump, and the Iranian and Ukrainian governments.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The proposal was reportedly made last week in Miami, Florida.
🎯IMPACT: The Trump administration rejected the proposal, but it has sparked concern among European diplomats that the U.S. may cease assisting Ukraine in favor of prioritizing its agenda in the Middle East.
Russia recently put a proposal to the United States, offering to cease intelligence sharing with Iran—in particular, details like precise locations of U.S. military assets in the Middle East—if Washington ceases sharing intelligence with Ukraine regarding Russian military activities. The suggestion was conveyed by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev to U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during a meeting in Miami, Florida, last week.
The Trump administration rejected the offer, according to sources, but the proposal has caused alarm among European diplomats, who worry that Russia is seeking to exploit divisions between the U.S. and its European partners over Iran.
Notably, President Donald J. Trump recently voiced frustration with NATO allies’ hesitation to deploy warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, branding them “COWARDS” in a Truth Social post and warning, “we will REMEMBER!”
The Kremlin has indicated that U.S.-facilitated peace negotiations on Ukraine are presently “on hold.” While the United States continues to provide intelligence support to Ukraine, other categories of assistance have been reduced. The Trump administration’s recent moves to relax sanctions on Russian energy exports, as the Iran war disrupts global supply, have drawn complaints from some European officials.
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