Donald Trump has admitted that Russian president Vladimir Putin could be helping Iran in its military efforts agains the U.S., contrary to claims made previously by his envoy.
“I think he might be helping them a little bit, yeah, I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump said, speaking to Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade Friday interview.
“It’s like, hey, they do it and we do it, in all fairness. They do it and we do it.”
The president’s comments come after U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who said Trump had spoken to Putin and other Russian leaders Monday, and they had denied sharing intelligence with Iran.
“So, you know, we can take them at their word,” Witkoff told CNBC’s “Money Movers” during an interview on Tuesday. “Let’s hope that they’re not sharing.”
“I can tell you that yesterday, on the call with the president, the Russians said they have not been sharing,” he added. “That’s what they said.”
Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had had a separate phone call Monday morning with Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor, he said. Ushakov had also said that Russia is not sharing intelligence with Iran, according to Witkoff.
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