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Washington has brought all intelligence sharing with Ukraine to a halt, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed to Fox Business on Wednesday. The development came just a day after several American media outlets reported that the US had suspended military assistance, including both the purchase of new weapons and shipments already in progress.
When asked by host Maria Bartiromo whether the US had “cut off” its cooperation with Ukraine, Ratcliffe said that US President Donald Trump had “asked for a pause” to see if Kiev was ready to work toward resolving the conflict with Russia.
“President Trump had a real question whether… Zelensky was committed to a peace process,” Ratcliffe said, claiming that the halt to assistance and information sharing contributed to Zelensky publicly stating that he was “ready for peace.”
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader said that Kiev was ready for an immediate POW release and a temporary ceasefire with a “ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure.” Last week, Trump told reporters that Zelensky needed to be ready for an immediate ceasefire before he could be welcomed back to the US following their Oval Office debacle on Friday.
”On the military front and on the intelligence front, the pause… allowed that to happen,” Ratcliffe said, adding that he expected the US to resume cooperating with Ukraine soon.
The halt to intelligence sharing was “selective,” Sky News initially reported on Wednesday, citing a Ukrainian source. However, the move made it difficult for Ukraine to launch attacks against targets deep inside Russia, the source said. The British outlet reported later the same day that Washington had halted the flow of intelligence completely. “A few hours ago, the exchange of all information was stopped,” a Ukrainian source told Sky.
Washington reportedly also barred its allies from sharing with Ukraine, Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Recipients with assets inside Ukraine itself were likely to continue to pass on relevant information, the paper said, but Kiev would likely miss out on time-sensitive and high-value intelligence it needed to strike moveable Russian targets.
Trump and Zelensky had a heated verbal exchange on Friday, when the US president accused the Ukrainian leader of ingratitude and “gambling with World War III” by refusing to work towards a halt to hostilities.
Several US outlets, including Bloomberg, the New York Times, and CNN, reported that Trump had paused military aid after the fall out. According to the NYT, the president’s order affected more than $1 billion in “arms and ammunition in the pipeline and on order.”
Moscow commented on the reports by saying that if the US were to suspend supplies altogether it would “probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace.”
Poland confirms US has suspended military aid to Ukraine
The US has suspended military assistance to Ukraine, including the delivery of weapons that were already in shipment, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has told journalists. Earlier, the move was reported by several US media outlets.
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“Today, a decision was announced to suspend American aid for Ukraine,” Tusk told reporters ahead of a government meeting on Tuesday. Washington has not made any official announcements on the issue.
“Reports that are coming from the border, from our hub in Jasionka, have confirmed the announcements of the American side,” the Polish prime minister stated. Located in the southeastern Poland, Jasionka airport has been transformed into a major supply and transport hub for Ukraine-bound Western military aid.
Several US media outlets, including Bloomberg, the New York Times and CNN, then reported that US President Donald Trump had paused military aid following the falling out with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Washington last Friday. According to the NYT, the president’s order affected more than $1 billion in “arms and ammunition in the pipeline and on order.”
According to Tusk, American weapons which had already reached Poland were not expected to be sent to Ukraine following Trump’s decision. The prime minister also claimed that the US actions suggest the Trump administration could possibly “start lifting” anti-Russian sanctions.
Last month, Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with discussions aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict and restoring bilateral ties. The US president then announced that he was “trying to do some economic development deals” with Moscow. He also signaled that sanctions could be lifted “at some point.”
Moscow responded by saying that it was open to economic cooperation with the US and called for the restrictions to be lifted.
According to Tusk, such developments were putting the EU and Ukraine “in a more difficult situation.” He also stated that the bloc’s task was “to increase its defense capabilities as quickly as possible” and in close coordination with “neighboring” NATO states.
On Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed to Fox Business that Washington has suspended intelligence sharing with Kiev as well. He called the measure temporary and argued that it was aimed at ensuring Kiev was committed to the peace process. Sky News initially reported on the same day that the suspension was “selective” only to say that it became total hours later.
Moscow had previously welcomed the reports about the suspension by saying that if Washington stuck to this decision, it would “probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace.”
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