WASHINGTON
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to halt all intelligence sharing with Iran if the US does the same with Ukraine, according to a report published Friday.
The proposal was put forward by Putin’s Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev when he sat down with Steve Witkoff, his US counterpart, and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner last week in Miami, Florida, news outlet Politico Europe reported, citing two anonymous sources.
The Trump administration rejected the offer, but it has nonetheless sparked concern among European officials who fret that Putin may be trying to drive a wedge between NATO allies. An EU official who spoke to Politico Europe described Putin’s offer as “outrageous.”
Trump earlier Friday lambasted the transatlantic alliance, saying that in the absence of the US it becomes a “paper tiger,” and sharply criticizing allies’ refusal to aid his push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a nuclear powered Iran. Now that fight is militarily won, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices,” he said on his Truth Social platform.
“So easy for them to do, with so little risk. Cowards, and we will remember!” he added.
Regional tensions in the Middle East have escalated since Israel and the US launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, so far killing some 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks across the region and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial traffic, a key oil transit route that normally handles about 20 million barrels per day, and roughly 20% of the global liquefied natural gas trade.
