Short version: According to people familiar with the talks, Moscow floated a deal: Russia would halt intelligence sharing with Iran, including data about U.S. forces in the Middle East, if the United States stopped providing intelligence on Russia to Ukraine. U.S. envoys rejected the offer.

What was proposed

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev reportedly suggested the exchange during a meeting in Miami with Trump administration representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The proposal reportedly offered to stop sharing detailed intelligence with Iran in return for the United States ending its intelligence support for Ukraine.

How the U.S. reacted

  • The U.S. rejected the proposal, according to sources who requested anonymity because the talks are sensitive.
  • Kirill Dmitriev posted on social media that the report was false.

Why Europe is uneasy

Even if the offer was denied, diplomats in Europe are worried. They see a potential Russian aim to pull the United States into bilateral deals that would leave Europe out of important security arrangements. One EU diplomat called the plan outrageous.

Context on Russia-Iran cooperation

Western reporting indicates that since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has stepped up military and intelligence cooperation with Iran, including satellite imagery and drone-related support that could help Tehran target U.S. forces in the region. The Kremlin has denied some of those reports.

Other Iran-related proposals

  • U.S. officials say Russia has offered other Iran-related deals, all of which Washington rejected.
  • One rejected idea reportedly involved moving Iran's enriched uranium to Russia. That was turned down by the U.S.

U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine

The United States continues to share intelligence with Ukraine, although some other forms of support were cut back after last year. There was a brief pause in sharing after a difficult Oval Office meeting between the U.S. president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which caused disruption among allies.

European capitals have tried to fill gaps. French officials have said France now provides a large share of military intelligence for Ukraine. Still, U.S. intelligence remains an important pillar of support, especially since much direct U.S. financial and military assistance was reduced last year.

Wider tensions and consequences

  • President Trump recently criticized NATO allies for not sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz, calling some allies "COWARDS" and saying "we will REMEMBER!"
  • The Kremlin has said that U.S.-mediated peace talks on Ukraine are "on hold."
  • The administration also eased sanctions on Russian oil to calm markets, a move that drew criticism from European leaders such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The episode highlights how intelligence sharing, diplomacy, and regional conflicts are tangled together. Even when a proposal is denied, the existence of the idea has already stirred mistrust among allies and renewed debate about who does what, and why.

This article was updated to reflect new reporting.