US halts intelligence sharing with Ukraine
The United States has suspended intelligence sharing with Kyiv, a move that could significantly limit the Ukrainian military's ability to target Russian forces.
The cut-off comes after the US suspended military aid to Ukraine amid a dramatic collapse in relations between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, News.Az reports citing Al Jazeera.
Since the start of the war in 2022, the US has provided Ukraine with significant intelligence, including critical information its military needs for targeting purposes.
It was not immediately clear to what extent the US had cut off the sharing.
In an interview with Fox Business broadcast on Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed the US “pause” in support.
“I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause [that prompted Ukraine’s president to respond] I think will go away,” Ratcliffe said.
“I think we’ll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have to push back on the aggression that’s there, but to put the world in a better place for these peace negotiations to move forward,” he said.
US-Ukraine relations broke down dramatically last week when Zelenskyy and Trump clashed in the White House on Friday, but there have been some signs of an improvement this week.
Trump on Tuesday said he received a letter from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which the Ukrainian leader expressed willingness to enter negotiations over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said in the letter that he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer”.
“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence,” he wrote.
Since the war began in February 2022, the US has sent approximately $86bn to Ukraine in military aid, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
When asked how the Kremlin viewed Zelenskyy’s letter, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said “positively”.
“The question is who to sit down with. For now, the Ukrainian president is still legally prohibited from negotiating with the Russian side. So, overall, the approach is positive, but the nuances have not changed yet,” Peskov said, referring to a Zelenskyy decree in 2022 that ruled out negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, Zelenskyy has repeatedly said he would be willing to meet Putin, but only after Kyiv and its allies agree on a common negotiating position.
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