Russia took satellite photos of US airbase days before Iran attack, Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says
DOHA, Qatar – Russia took satellite images of a US air base in Saudi Arabia three times days before Iran attacked the site and injured US troops, according to a Ukrainian intelligence briefing shared with NBC News by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In an interview with the Gulf country of Qatar on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he is “100%” sure that Russia shares such intelligence with Iran to help target US forces in the Middle East.
“I think it is in Russia’s interest to help the Iranian people. And I don’t believe – I know – that they are sharing information,” he said. “Are they helping the Iranian people? Yes. How many percent? One hundred percent.”
During the interview, Zelenskyy shared a summary of the president’s daily briefing that he received from Ukrainian intelligence agencies. The report revealed that Russian satellites took pictures of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 20, March 23 and March 25.
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On March 26, Iran attacked the base, which hosts US and Saudi forces. The strike injured dozens of US military personnel, two US officials said on Friday, although none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
Zelenskyy said that based on the experience of Ukraine, Russia’s repeated capture of the installation in a few days is an indication of planning an attack.
“We know that if they make pictures once, they prepare. If they make pictures a second time, it’s like an imitation. The third time means that in one or two days, they will attack,” he said. The briefing did not include evidence of the Russian satellite image or specify how Ukraine knew about it, and NBC News could not verify its accuracy.
NBC News reported earlier this month that Russia was providing intelligence to Iran about US military locations in the Middle East, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied providing intelligence to Tehran in an interview with French media on Thursday, although he said Moscow had sent troops to Iran under their long-standing military alliance.
Zelenskyy visited Gulf states this week to seek to close deals that provide Ukraine with air defense technology that has been tested in countries under fire from Iran’s missiles and drones.
He said defense agreements have been signed with Saudi Arabia and Qatar in which Ukraine will provide technical know-how in exchange for “billion” dollars of investment in Ukrainian defense industries. “They see our technology,” he added. Iran’s inexpensive Shahed fighter jets, among the key weapons used to attack Tehran’s neighbors, have been used by Russia during its four-year war with Ukraine.
The US-Israel war with Iran has created a huge demand for American-made missile interceptors among US allies in the Middle East, with stocks running out after a month of daily attacks from Iran. Zelenskyy said he was concerned that the conflict could lead to US weapons being diverted from Ukraine to the Middle East, but so far there have been no disruptions to scheduled deliveries in Kyiv.
“I am very worried. I hope that the United States will not make such mistakes,” he said, adding that the flow of weapons from Western allies was important for his country’s defense against Russia.
Zelenskyy said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes for a “long war in the Middle East.”
“[Putin] it has benefits, many benefits, of this war,” he said, pointing to higher oil prices and the temporary easing of some US sanctions on Russian oil, which means more money for the Kremlin. “If the sanctions are lifted, [Putin] you will get more money, more money, and you will put this money into weapons.”
While U.S. efforts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia appear to have largely stalled ahead of the Iran war, Zelenskyy said the new conflict in the Middle East has further delayed negotiations.
He said he was told that the American mediation team – led by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law – could not conduct negotiations in a neutral place outside the United States during the Iran war.
The American delegation had promised to hold trilateral talks on American soil, but the Russian side was unwilling to do so, said Zelenskyy, although Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev went to Florida for previous talks with his American counterparts. He added that Ukraine is ready to meet at any time in any place other than Russia and suggested Turkey or Switzerland as possibilities.
“We will never be on the side of blocking or delaying or delaying, etc. And that is why we are ready to meet everywhere except Russia and Belarus – they are allies and enemies,” he said.
Asked if he believes Trump cares about Ukraine’s future, Zelenskyy paused for a moment.
“I hope so,” he said. “You know the policy of the United States today. They care a lot about the United States. It’s understandable, in a way. We understand it and I think the American team is very open about it.”
