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.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said on Sunday that Iranian forces “are awaiting the arrival of American troops on the ground,” adding that Iran’s military would “set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” according to Iranian state media.