The Trump administration has reportedly ordered at least a partial halt to intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, a move that could significantly weaken Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
According to U.S. military officials and statements from top Trump administration figures, the pause is part of a broader reassessment of America’s security relationship with Ukraine, following last week’s tense Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirmed the pause in an interview with CBS News, though he suggested it could be temporary if Ukraine demonstrates progress toward negotiations with Russia. “We are pausing, assessing, looking at everything across our security relationship,” Waltz said.
The intelligence freeze comes on the heels of Trump’s decision to halt military aid to Ukraine, a move meant to pressure Zelensky into peace talks. While the Ukrainian leader initially resisted, his tone shifted this week. In a statement on Tuesday, Zelensky indicated he was now open to negotiations, a message that administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, took as a sign that the policy shift was working.
“You saw the response that President Zelensky put out,” Ratcliffe said in an interview on Fox Business. “So I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away.”
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, also confirmed that talks with U.S. officials would resume soon, saying he had spoken with Waltz about “further steps towards a just and lasting peace.”
However, the impact of even a temporary freeze in intelligence-sharing could be severe. Since the war began in 2022, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with critical battlefield intelligence, including Russian troop movements, intercepted communications, and real-time surveillance that has helped Ukraine repel attacks.
One source familiar with the intelligence-sharing arrangement described the pause as “pretty bad,” warning that, combined with the halt in military aid, “it pretty much guarantees a Russian victory without there needing to be a peace deal.”
Moscow, unsurprisingly, welcomed the decision. Russian lawmaker Andrei Kartapolov praised the Trump administration’s shift, noting that cutting off intelligence to Ukraine would “allow us to achieve results more quickly.”
For now, the situation remains fluid. Some U.S. military officials in the region suggested that limited intelligence-sharing was still continuing as of Tuesday, though at a reduced level. Among Kyiv’s biggest concerns is whether the Trump administration—or its allies—will restrict Ukraine’s access to Starlink, the satellite internet system operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Starlink has been essential to Ukraine’s battlefield communications, and any disruption could further tilt the balance in Russia’s favor.
