Iran is preparing to supply Russia with hundreds of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles to support Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said, writes The Financial Times.

The US had information indicating Tehran is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs … on an expedited timeline. The shipment would include drones that could be used as weapons.

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. It was unclear whether Iran was already delivering the equipment to Russia, or whether shipments would begin at a later date”, - said Jake Sullivan, the US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser.

He added that the US administration was in “near daily contact” with Kyiv about how to defend the country against Russian advances while also “reclaim[ing] some of the territory that has been taken from them”.

The “fundamental purpose” of US strategy was “to put the Ukrainians in as strong a position as possible on the battlefield” so that Kyiv would have a better hand “at the negotiating table when diplomacy comes in”, Sullivan said.