US Congressmen Contrast Ukraine’s Support With Russia’s Threat to American Lives

At a Helsinki Commission hearing, bipartisan US lawmakers warned that Russia and Iran are deepening military ties and urged Washington to use Ukraine’s battlefield experience against drone threats. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Rep. Joe Wilson at a US Helsinki Commission hearing on April 21, 2026. (Helsinki Commission / YouTube) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google At a US Helsinki Commission hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers from both parties warned that growing cooperation between Russia and Iran is creating an expanding security threat stretching from Ukraine to the Middle East. Rep.Joe Wilson, a Republican congressman and co-chair of the commission, warned that deepening cooperation between Russia and Iran is creating an expanding security threat from Ukraine to the Middle East. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . “With that in mind, the United States is addressing the nuclear threat of Iran, along with the axis of the Iranian regime, war criminal Putin, and Chinese Communist Party working together to threaten American families,” Wilson said. He argued that Moscow has actively supported Tehran’s military capabilities, including sharing intelligence and drone-related expertise derived from its war against Ukraine. “Russian terror tactics and intelligence methods used to murder Ukrainians and Syrians over the past decade are now being used by the Iranian military to target and kill Americans and our allies,” Wilson said, adding that Russia is “teaching Iranian military how to use drones and providing intel about allied positions and capabilities.” Wilson also pointed to long-term ties between Moscow and Tehran, saying their cooperation dates back decades and includes assistance to Iran’s nuclear program. “In the 1990s, Moscow and Tehran began their close collaboration. In fact, it was Russia that provided Iran its first centrifuges,” he said. Wilson described Iran as a critical partner for Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, noting Tehran’s role in supplying Shahed drones now produced at scale inside Russia. “Iran produced and provided Russia the initial Shahed drones used to terrorize Ukrainian cities. Now there are factories across Russia producing cheap and deadly Shahed drones, which swarm by the hundreds,” he said. He warned that the proliferation of low-cost drones is reshaping modern warfare by forcing Western countries to expend significantly more resources to defend against them. “The proliferation of cheap drones are meant to overwhelm conventional methods and cost Western countries billions to rearm against this threat,” Wilson said. Wilson also accused Russia and Iran of working together to evade sanctions and sustain their military operations, describing a pattern of cooperation that extends beyond the battlefield. He further argued that these developments are being closely watched by Beijing. “The Chinese Communist Party is taking notes in producing their own army of drones,” he said. Despite the risks, Wilson highlighted the role of Ukraine as a key partner in countering these threats, emphasizing that Kyiv’s battlefield experience is already benefiting US allies. “Ukraine is cementing alliances with Gulf allies whose skies are threatened by waves of Iranian drones and ballistic missiles, even as they defend their own country,” he said. He urged the US to ensure that Ukraine’s military innovations become integrated into long-term Western defense planning. “We must ensure that Ukraine’s hard-won expertise becomes a lasting feature of transatlantic defense architecture,” Wilson said. Rep. Steve Cohen, the commission’s Democratic co-chair, underscored bipartisan support for Ukraine and broader concerns about Russia-Iran cooperation. “Here today… you’re going to see bipartisan support for the people of Ukraine and bipartisan support for liberation of the people of Iran,” Cohen said. Cohen warned that Russia and Iran have been aligned for decades in opposition to democratic systems and the rules-based international order. “For decades, Russia and Iran have been bound by their shared disdain for freedom and democracy and their insistence on overturning the rules-based world order,” he said. “Ukraine is ready and willing to help while Russia is actively working to endanger American lives,” Cohen said. Cohen contrasted Ukraine’s willingness to cooperate with what he described as insufficient US efforts to fully integrate Ukrainian battlefield expertise into American defense planning. “Ukrainians are eager to support us and our allies in defending against Iranian attacks cheaply and efficiently,” he said. “Yet… the Pentagon is dragging its feet on fully integrating Ukrainian expertise.” He called for concrete steps to expand cooperation, including encouraging Ukrainian drone production in the United States and creating pathways for the US military to procure Ukrainian systems. “We should accept Ukraine’s hard-earned expertise… as quickly as possible,” Cohen concluded. Sevinj Osmanqizi is a journalist covering US foreign policy, security, and geopolitics, with a focus on the broader post-Soviet space. She reports on Washington’s decision-making and its implications for Ukraine and regional stability.