Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has appeared in a new podcast (The Rest is Politics), where, among other things, he says that the US has ignored evidence of Russia assisting Iran in targeting American bases in the Middle East because it "trusts" Vladimir Putin. Zelensky says Russian satellites had mapped critical energy infrastructure in Gulf states and Israel, as well as US military base locations, then shared this intelligence with Tehran to aid attacks.
He criticizes the Trump administration's negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for spending too much time with Putin and failing to grasp Russia's intentions. Zelensky also describes the US vice-president JD Vance's recent visit to Budapest to support Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán as "not helpful" and emphasizes that he would not interfere in Hungary's elections.
Finally, Zelensky calls on Europe to strengthen its military cooperation with Ukraine, the UK, Turkey, and Norway, warning that without such a bloc, Europe cannot match Russia's military power. "Without Ukraine and Turkey, Europe will not have a similar army that Russia has. With Ukraine, Turkey, Norway and the UK, you will control security on the seas, not one sea," he adds