United States has halted intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed on Wednesday, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter peace talks with Russia.
The intelligence freeze comes after the US move earlier this week to suspend military aid to Kyiv, a change of tack by President Donald Trump in his bid for diplomatic negotiations with Moscow. The suspension may reduce Ukraine’s capabilities to defend against Russian missile attacks, underscoring Trump’s readiness to pursue a hardline policy with a friend.
The approach seems to have worked, as Trump announced on Tuesday that he had received a letter from Zelenskyy indicating readiness to engage in negotiations. Ratcliffe indicated that once peace negotiations are underway, the US would be able to resume intelligence sharing. “I think on the military and intelligence side, the pause will go away,” he said in an interview with Fox Business Network, stressing that future cooperation hinges on Ukraine’s participation in diplomacy.
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz seconded this view, with Trump willing to restore the aid if Ukraine launches peace negotiations and takes confidence-building actions.
The suspension of intelligence sharing involves the withholding of targeting information that is essential to Ukrainian military action, with some reports describing a full freeze and others a partial one.
The freeze on aid comes amid a dramatic Oval Office confrontation Friday, in which Trump and Zelenskyy allegedly got into a heated public argument over the signing of a US-Ukraine minerals agreement. But after US officials stepped in, Zelenskyy released a gracious statement expressing appreciation for Washington’s support, which paved the way for the deal to proceed.
The signing of the agreement is seen as being the first step of a wider negotiation process between Ukraine, Russia, and the US to bring the war to an end.