Economy March 20, 2026

Moscow Offered to Stop Sharing Intel with Tehran in Return for U.S. Halt on Ukraine Briefings

Proposal relayed to Trump-era envoys in Miami was rejected by Washington and alarms European diplomats

By Avery Klein
Moscow Offered to Stop Sharing Intel with Tehran in Return for U.S. Halt on Ukraine Briefings

Two people familiar with private talks say Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev proposed a reciprocal intelligence pause: Moscow would stop transmitting precise U.S. military positions in the Middle East to Iran if the United States stopped passing intelligence about Russia to Ukraine. The offer, delivered to envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami, was declined by U.S. officials and has prompted concern among European diplomats about Moscow's intentions toward transatlantic ties.

Key Points

  • Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev proposed a reciprocal intelligence pause to two envoys in Miami - the plan linked Moscow-to-Tehran intelligence flows with U.S.-to-Ukraine intelligence sharing.
  • The proposal specified that Russia would stop supplying precise coordinates of U.S. military assets in the Middle East to Iran if the U.S. stopped providing intelligence about Russia to Ukraine.
  • U.S. officials rejected the offer; European diplomats expressed concern that Moscow may be attempting to undermine transatlantic unity.

Two people familiar with the negotiations said Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev presented a proposal last week that would link two different intelligence flows: one from Moscow to Tehran and another from Washington to Kyiv. The offer, delivered in a meeting in Miami to Trump administration envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, sought a reciprocal pause in sensitive information sharing.

Under the terms described by those two people, Russia would stop providing Iran with precise coordinates of U.S. military assets in the Middle East. In return, the United States would be expected to cease supplying intelligence about Russia to Ukrainian authorities.

U.S. officials declined the proposal, the two people said. The rejection was reported as the direct response to the terms laid out in the Miami meeting.


European diplomats have reacted to the reported offer with unease. According to the same two people familiar with the talks, those diplomats are concerned that Moscow may be attempting to drive a wedge between the United States and its European partners at a moment the transatlantic relationship is considered particularly consequential.

The meeting in Miami, and the proposal attributed to Kirill Dmitriev, centers on a straightforward exchange of limits on intelligence sharing rather than on any public diplomatic or military agreement. The description available is limited to the details shared by the two people familiar with the negotiations, and no broader pact or acceptance was reported.

The account of the exchange is narrow in scope: it identifies the participants in the Miami meeting, the terms of the proposition, the U.S. decision to reject those terms, and European concern about the political optics and potential diplomatic repercussions. Additional confirmations or further developments tied to the proposal were not reported by the people who described the talks.

Given the limited set of reported facts, the matter remains focused on the reported offer and reactions to it rather than on any implemented changes to intelligence practices or formal agreements among the parties involved.

Risks

  • Potential diplomatic strain - European diplomats fear the proposal could be used to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its European partners, affecting transatlantic political coordination.
  • Operational risk for regional security - if reciprocal intelligence arrangements were to be pursued, they would touch on military and security information flows in the Middle East, a sector of strategic interest.
  • Uncertainty in information flows - the reported proposal and its rejection leave open the status quo of intelligence sharing, creating uncertainty for defense and foreign policy planners.

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