US cuts intelligence for Ukraine, adding pressure for Russia peace deal
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A war veteran visiting a makeshift memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers on March 5, on Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - The US has paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, CIA director John Ratcliffe said on March 5, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with US President Donald Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.
The suspension, which could cost lives by hurting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian missile strikes, followed a halt this week to US military aid to Kyiv.
It underscores Mr Trump’s willingness to play hardball with an ally as he pivots to a more conciliatory approach to Moscow from what was strong US support for Ukraine.
The pressure appears to have worked, with Mr Trump on March 4 saying he received a letter
“I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause I think will go away,” Mr Ratcliffe told Fox Business Network.
“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.
A source familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Trump administration had halted “everything”, including targeting data that Ukraine has used to strike Russian targets.
A second source said intelligence-sharing had only “partially” been cut, but was unable to provide more detail.
Washington on March 3 halted military aid to Kyiv following a disastrous Oval Office meeting on Feb 28 in which Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky engaged in a shouting match
The clash delayed the signing of a deal that would give the US rights to revenue from Ukraine’s critical mineral deposits, which Mr Trump has demanded to repay US military aid.
Mr Zelensky said on March 5 there had been “positive movement” on the issue and officials from the two countries could meet again soon.
The White House said it is reconsidering its pause in funding for Ukraine and talks between the two countries over a minerals deal were ongoing.
A senior administration official said on March 5 that the signing was expected to happen soon and to be the first step in a longer negotiation between Ukraine, Washington and Russia on ending the war.
The Ukrainian embassy in Washington and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an address to Congress on March 4 evening, Mr Trump said Kyiv was ready to sign a minerals deal.
Mr Trump also said he had been in “serious discussions with Russia” and received strong signals that it was ready for peace.
“It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” he said.
Europe scrambling
Several Democrats criticised the intelligence-sharing suspension.
Senator Mark Warner, the vice-chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the “ill-advised decision” showed that Mr Trump had given American power to Russia.
“Let me be clear: Cutting off intelligence support to our Ukrainian partners will cost (Ukrainian) lives,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
A Russian missile struck a hotel in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih late on March 5, killing two people and injuring seven, emergency officials said.
European countries are scrambling to boost defence spending and maintain support for Ukraine. Diplomats said France and Britain are aiming to finalise a peace plan to present to the US, while the Dutch government said it will reserve €3.5 billion (S$5 billion) for Ukraine aid in 2026.
The US has provided critical intelligence to Ukraine for its fight against Moscow’s forces, including information that helped thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s drive to seize Kyiv at the start of his full-scale invasion in February 2022.
But in less than two months in office, Mr Trump has upended US policy, stunning and alienating European allies and raising concerns about the future of the Nato alliance.
He has also ended Mr Putin’s isolation through phone calls with the Russian leader and talks between Russian and US aides in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, from which Ukraine and its European allies were excluded.
Some experts said the US intelligence-sharing suspension would hurt Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian forces, which occupy about 20 per cent of the country’s territory, and defend itself.
“Unfortunately, our dependence in this regard is quite serious,” said Mr Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies. REUTERS
The Ukrainian embassy in Washington and Ukraine’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several Democrats lambasted the intelligence-sharing suspension. Senator Mark Warner, the vice-chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the “ill-advised decision” showed that Mr Trump had given American power to Russia.
“Let me be clear: cutting off intelligence support to our Ukrainian partners will cost (Ukrainian) lives,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
European countries are scrambling to boost defence spending and maintain support for Ukraine.
France and Britain are aiming to finalise, possibly within days, a peace plan
Finalising minerals deal
In his address to Congress on March 4 evening, Mr Trump said Kyiv was ready to sign a deal on exploiting Ukraine’s critical mineral deposits, which the US leader has demanded to repay the costs of US military aid. He provided no further information.
Mr Trump also said he had been in “serious discussions with Russia” and had received strong signals that they were ready for peace.
“It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” he said.
The US has provided critical intelligence to Ukraine for its fight against Moscow’s forces, including information that helped thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s drive to seize Kyiv at the start of his full-scale invasion in February 2022.
But in less than two months in office, Mr Trump has upended US policy, stunning and alienating European allies and raising concerns about the future of the Nato alliance.
He has also ended Mr Putin’s isolation through phone calls with the Russian leader and talks between Russian and US aides
Some experts said the US intelligence-sharing suspension would hurt Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian forces, which occupy about 20 per cent of the country’s territory.
“Unfortunately, our dependence in this regard is quite serious, starting with missile threats, missile attacks and ending with what is happening in Russia, in the temporarily occupied territories in terms of launching strikes,” said Mr Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies.
Some of the loss could be offset through purchases of commercial satellite imagery, but only military satellites could pinpoint missile launches, he said.
The intelligence suspension also will complicate Ukraine’s defences against Russian air and missile strikes, Bielieskov said, which regularly have hit civilian buildings like schools and hospitals, killing hundreds of non-combatants.
“We will have less time to react, more destruction, potentially more casualties, it will all weaken us very, very much,” he said.
Mr Waltz told reporters on the morning of March 5 that the US “had taken a step back” and that the administration was reviewing all aspects of its intelligence relationship with Ukraine.
“I think we’re going to see movement in very short order,” he said. REUTERS
