The US has suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday, the 5th of March, increasing pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cooperate with US President Donald Trump on peace talks with Russia, indicating Trump’s willingness to pursue a hardline policy towards an ally as he becomes more tolerant towards Moscow, reports “Reuters“.
The announcement follows a heated discussion between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and this week’s suspension of military aid to Kyiv, which could cost lives by damaging Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian missile strikes.
The pressure seems to have worked, as Trump said in his address to the US Congress on Tuesday that he had received a letter from Zelenskyy in which the Ukrainian leader expressed his willingness to come to the negotiating table. Trump added that he had “had serious discussions with Russia” and received strong signals that it was ready for peace.
“On the military front and on the intelligence front, I think the pause will end,” Ratcliffe told Fox Business Network.
“I think we will work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine because we have to continue to deter aggression over there and at the same time put the world in a better place so that these peace talks can move forward,” he said.
A source familiar with the situation, speaking anonymously, said the Trump administration has stopped “everything”, including targeting data, that Ukraine has used to attack Russian targets.
A second source said that intelligence sharing had only been “partially” suspended, but could not provide further details.
Several Democrats criticised the suspension of intelligence sharing. Senator Mark Warner, vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the “ill-considered decision” showed that Trump had given American power to Russia.
“Let me be clear: cutting off intelligence support to our Ukrainian partners will cost lives,” he said in a statement.
A Russian missile hit a hotel in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih late on Wednesday night, killing two people and wounding seven, emergency officials said.
The US has provided Ukraine with crucial intelligence to fight Russian forces, including information that helped prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from seizing Kyiv in February 2022, when the full-scale invasion began.
But in less than two months since Trump took office, he has reversed US policy, stunning and alienating European allies and raising concerns about the future of the NATO alliance.
Some experts pointed out that the cessation of US intelligence sharing would damage Ukraine’s ability to attack Russian forces and defend itself.
“Unfortunately, our reliance in this area is quite serious,” said Nikolai Beleskov, a researcher at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies.
BNN reported that despite the suspension of military aid, US-Ukrainian cooperation is not stopping. Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that “positive progress” had been made and officials from the two countries could meet again soon. The White House said it was reviewing the suspension of funding to Ukraine and that talks between the two countries on a mineral deal were continuing.
A senior administration official said on Wednesday that the signing was expected soon and that it would be the first step in longer negotiations between Ukraine, Washington and Russia to end the war.
The Ukrainian embassy in Washington and the Ukrainian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.