Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks as he visits the production facility of drone producing company Quantum Frontline Industries in Gilching near Munich, Germany, on Feb. 13, 2026. Alexandra Beier/AFP via Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested on July 25 that Russia gave the Iranian regime satellite imagery of U.S. bases in the Middle East.
“Since the beginning of July, we have recorded active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and U.S. military facilities located there,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X on Saturday. “These images subsequently appear in Iran.”
Zelenskyy suggested Russian satellites were monitoring two bases in Bahrain, one in Jordan, and one in Kuwait on July 19 and 20.
“There is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes – both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted,” the Ukrainian president added.
The Ukrainian government said it will share the intelligence with allies, alleging there were comprehensive reports on what Russia is planning for the fall.
Zelenskyy suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who previously said in early June that there was “no point” in holding peace talks about the war in Ukraine, may mobilize and send more Russian soldiers to continue fighting in the full-scale invasion that started in February 2022.
During a Senate hearing on July 21, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was asked if Russia or China was helping the Iranian regime.
Hegseth didn’t give any specifics but confirmed that there have been attempts at “adversary alignment,” the details of which he wanted to keep classified.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate Committee on Appropriations in Washington on July 21, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
“But there are ways in which both of those countries are, at different levels, enabling some of the things Iran is doing,” Hegseth said.
Days later, President Donald Trump said Russia and China had told him they weren’t assisting Iran with weapons.
“President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran — And that statement included Chinese Companies,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social Post on July 24.”
Trump added, “Likewise, President Putin, despite the horrible War going on in Ukraine (The relationship remains, as it does with President Zelenskyy), told me that he would not sell Weapons to Iran.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump (C) visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on May 14, 2026. Brendan Smialowski/Pool/Getty Images
The president said that Putin was aware that the United States sells weapons to NATO countries, not to Ukraine.
“They pay full price, and how those Weapons are distributed, I have no idea,” Trump added. “Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests.”
Timothy Frudd and Reuters contributed to this report.
