• Russia has incurred heavy losses in recent weeks after invading Ukraine.
• Drones have played a crucial role on both sides of the Ukraine conflict.
• The United States and other allies have supplied Kyiv with many types of smaller drones.

A senior US official said Tuesday that Russia’s plan to acquire hundreds of combat drones from Iran shows its urgent need to reinforce due to heavy losses four months after invading Ukraine. John Kirby, a spokesman for the national security council, said the deal, revealed by the White House on Monday, also shows Iran’s willingness to support Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

But he said supply the drones would not necessarily affect US ongoing attempts to negotiate a return to the 2015 six-party deal to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

“We continue to want to see a nuclear deal that takes Iran’s nuclear ambitions, at least its nuclear weapons ambitions, off the table,” Kirby said.

On Monday the White House revealed intelligence that Russia and Iran are moving quickly on a drone supply pact, which comes as Russia forces face stiff Ukrainian resistance in their push to consolidate control of eastern and southern Ukraine.

“The Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), including weapons-capable UAVs, on an expedited timeline,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters.

“Our information further indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use these UAVs, with initial training sessions slated to begin as soon as early July,” he said.

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