DOHA, Qatar – Russia took satellite images of a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia three times before Iran attacked the site and injured U.S. troops, according to a Ukrainian intelligence summary shared with NBC News by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In an interview in the Gulf country of Qatar on Saturday, Zelensky said he was “100%” confident that Russia was sharing such intelligence with Iran to help target US forces in the Middle East.
He said, “I think it’s in Russia’s interest to help the Iranians. And I don’t believe – I know – that they share information.” “Do they help the Iranians? Absolutely. How many percent? One hundred percent.”
During the interview, Zelensky shared a summary of the daily presidential briefing he received from Ukraine’s spy agencies. The report said Russian satellites had taken pictures of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 20, March 23 and March 25.
On March 26, Iran attacked the base, which hosts US forces as well as Saudi troops. Two US officials said Friday that several US service members were injured in the attack, although none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
Zelensky said that based on Ukraine’s experience, Russia’s repeated photographs of installations over several days were indicative of attack planning.
He said, “We know that if they make pictures once, they are preparing. If they make pictures a second time, it is like a simulation. The third time means that in a day or two, they will attack.” The briefing did not include evidence from Russian satellite imagery or specify how Ukraine knew about it, and NBC News was unable to verify its accuracy.
NBC News reported earlier this month that Russia was providing intelligence to Iran on the location of US forces in the Middle East, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied providing intelligence to Tehran in an interview with French media on Thursday, although he said Moscow had sent military equipment to Iran as part of their long-standing military alliance.
Zelensky visited the Gulf countries this week to seal deals providing Ukraine’s battle-tested air defense technology to countries hit by Iranian missiles and drones.
He said defense agreements have been signed with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in which Ukraine will provide technological know-how in exchange for “billions” of dollars of investment in Ukrainian defense industries. “They recognize our expertise,” he said. Iran’s low-cost Shahid drones, deployed by Russia during its four-year war with Ukraine, are among the key weapons used to attack Tehran’s neighbors.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has created huge demand for US-made missile interceptors among US allies in the Middle East, with stocks depleted after a month of daily attacks from Iran. Zelensky said he was concerned that the conflict could lead to US weapons being diverted from Ukraine to the Middle East, but so far there had been no disruption to scheduled deliveries to Kiev.
He said, “I am very concerned. I hope the United States will not make such mistakes.” He said the flow of arms from Western allies was vital to his country’s defense against Russia.
Zelensky said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was expecting a “protracted war in the Middle East.”
“(Putin) benefits from this war, there are a lot of benefits,” he said, pointing to higher oil prices and the temporary lifting of some US sanctions on Russian oil, which means more revenue for the Kremlin. “If sanctions are lifted, (Putin) will get more money, a lot more money, and he will invest this money in weapons.”
While U.S. efforts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia appeared largely stalled before the war in Iran, Zelensky said the new conflict in the Middle East has slowed diplomacy even further.
He said he was told that the US mediation team – led by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – was not able to negotiate in a neutral location outside the United States during the Iran war.
The US team had offered to host trilateral talks on US soil, but the Russian side was unwilling to do so, Zelensky said, although Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has traveled to Florida for previous talks with his US counterparts. He said Ukraine was ready to meet at any time in any place except Russia and suggested Turkey or Switzerland as possibilities.
He said, “We will never be on the side that is obstructing or delaying or postponing, etc. and that is why we are ready to meet everywhere except Russia and Belarus – they are allies and they are enemies.”
Asked if he believed Trump cared about Ukraine’s future, Zelensky paused for a moment.
“I hope so,” he said. “You know the policy of the United States today. They care more about the United States. Well, that makes sense. We understand that and I think the American team is very open about it.”
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