The intelligence services of Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plan to "work together against American and British intelligence" as South Korea considers selling its weapons instead of sending them to Ukraine, according to a document that media say is a leaked US intelligence report.
US officials did not want to comment on the reports, marked as "top secret", which were published online and seen by the Associated Press (AP) and the BBC.
A document seen by the AP states that American spies learned from conversations between Russian intelligence officers that they had convinced the UAE "to work together against American and British intelligence agencies."
The UAE government today rejected any accusation that it had deepened ties with Russian intelligence services, describing them as "false".
However, the US is increasingly concerned about the possibility that the UAE will allow Russia to circumvent sanctions imposed on it for invading Ukraine.
The document said a survey titled "Russia/UAE: Deepening Intelligence Relations" had been conducted since March 9, which said UAE and Russian security officials had agreed to work together.
Intelligence information is obtained through intercepted communications between the two parties, be it telephone calls or electronic messages.
A leaked Pentagon document seen by the BBC reveals a sensitive conversation between senior South Korean officials about whether to sell weapons that could be used in Ukraine.
American spies also intercepted a conversation between two senior advisers of South Korean President Jun Suk Jul about whether that country should give in to the pressure exerted by the US and send ammunition to Ukraine or stick to its policy of not arming the warring parties.
One of the advisers suggests that South Korea send grenades to Poland, so that it does not appear that the US has influenced its public policies.
Last year, South Korea agreed to sell artillery shells to the US but insisted that America not transfer the weapons to Ukraine.
Leaked intelligence documents suggest that South Korea fears that if its shells end up in Ukraine, it will strain its relations with Moscow, threatening its balancing policy between West and East.
Washington is scrambling to track down the source of the leaks, which the Pentagon says pose a serious risk to national security.
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into a possible leak of classified Pentagon documents that were shared on social media.
The spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, called for caution today, stating that he knows "that information in some cases is false."
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