Putin threatens to ramp up war on Ukraine as show of solidarity for Iran in country's war with US

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised continued escalation of the war against Ukraine and ongoing support for Iran in its conflict against the U.S. 

The defiant remarks were made at the end of a two-day summit in Kyrgyzstan, the New York Times reported. 

Putin met earlier in the day with President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran and promised continued support for what he called Iran's “courage and resilience” in defending their national interests.

Putin also said he's "completely comfortable" working with President Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in peace negotiations over Ukraine. This comment comes days after John Ratcliffe, CIA director, made a case to his Russian counterpart for ending the war during a rare visit to Moscow.

Putin said that direct contacts between heads of intelligence agencies were common, even during the Cold War, but negotiations were "currently frozen, to a certain extent."