US Defense Secretary Pete Buttigieg made it clear that Russia should not interfere in the US-Israeli war against Iran, a day after President Donald Trump spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Putin.
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“I wasn’t there, but those who were there said it was a strong call that hopefully reaffirms the possibility of some peace in Russia and Ukraine, and also recognizes that they shouldn’t interfere in this conflict,” Hegseth told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon, The New York Post reports.
Late last week, multiple reports emerged, citing U.S. officials, suggesting that the Kremlin had been providing Iran with intelligence on U.S. assets and positions that Tehran was believed to be using to attack U.S. defense systems in the Middle East. Special envoy Steve Witkoff stressed that Russia denies reports that it is providing Iran with critical intelligence.
Trump told reporters during a press conference in South Florida that while Putin “wants to help” end the war with Iran, “I told him, ‘You could be more helpful by ending the war in Ukraine.’”
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Putin has publicly expressed solidarity with Iran and recently congratulated the regime's newly elected Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on his appointment, despite Trump criticizing the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “lightweight” who, in his opinion, “cannot live in peace.”
Iranian state media has suggested that Khamenei's scion may have been seriously injured in the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which also killed his father, mother and wife. Hegset declined to comment on the reports.
Iran and Russia have long been close allies, and Tehran supplies Moscow with Shahed drones, which the Russian Federation has been using to strike Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022. However, Russia has refrained from any direct and public steps against the United States over the Iranian campaign.
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Ukraine has taken steps to help the United States and Middle Eastern countries combat Iranian drone attacks, sending experts to the region to help defend against the “shaheeds.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also publicly supported Trump’s decision to continue Operation Epic Fury.
However, last week, Trump criticized Ukraine and accused Zelensky of greater blame for continuing Russia's brutal invasion of his country.
“I think Putin is ready to make a deal,” Trump told Politico in a phone interview on March 5. “Zelenskyy should get down to business and make a deal. Nothing has changed since I met with him, where I said, ‘You don’t have any cards.’ Now he has even fewer cards.”
Despite Trump's statements, Ukrainian specialists have already arrived in the Middle East and are helping the US combat Iranian drones.
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