Zelenskyy slams US for trusting Putin despite Russia-Iran cooperation

In an interview with the British podcast “The Rest is Politics” cited by The Guardian and Italian RAI on Thursday, Zelenskyy said he had tried to draw the White House’s attention to close collaboration between Moscow and Tehran. He pointed out that Russian military satellites photographed energy infrastructure in Persian Gulf countries and Israel, as well as locations of U.S. bases, and that the Kremlin passed this data to Iran to help carry out its strikes.

“I said this publicly. Did we hear a reaction from the US to Russia that they have to stop it? The problem is they trust Putin. And it’s a pity,” Zelenskyy said.

He suggested the issue stems from Trump administration representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spending “too much time” with Putin and his officials while never visiting Kyiv.

Zelenskyy added that Trump’s team failed to “really understand the details of what Russia wants,” while he himself better grasps Putin’s psychology and actual military goals.

“They don’t want to recognize that Putin will lie to them and that he can continue the occupation even after such steps. The Americans are sure that they can trust Putin,” he said.

Zelenskyy emphasized that for the US, “Donbas is nothing,” but Russia will not stop even if it obtains the region.

Ukrainian and European officials have repeatedly stated that Russia helps Iran in the Middle East war by providing intelligence and Shahed drones. Iran has not hidden its cooperation with Russia.

For some time, President Donald Trump denied this but later acknowledged that Russia “might be helping them a little bit.” Trump avoided criticizing Moscow, noting that the US also helps Ukraine.