U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in an interview with Fox Business Network on Wednesday.
Ratcliffe said the decision came after a dispute last week between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the prospects of peace talks with Russia. He added that the pause on both the military and intelligence fronts “will go away” but did not provide further details.
“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,” Ratcliffe said.
The U.S. had previously frozen all military aid to Ukraine and halted offensive cyber operations against Russia in an effort to bring both parties to the negotiating table.
An anonymous Ukrainian source with knowledge of the situation told Sky News that the halt in intelligence sharing would affect the exchange of all information between Ukraine and the U.S., including intelligence that could be used for attacks inside Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirmed on Wednesday that Trump’s administration “has taken a step back” and is reviewing its intelligence relationship with Kyiv. Waltz added that the U.S. will consider restoring aid to Ukraine if peace talks are arranged.
“I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move toward these negotiations, and in fact, put some confidence-building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause,” he said.
The U.S. has shared intelligence and provided military assistance to Ukraine since the early days of the war in 2022. Washington has also helped Ukraine on the cyber front — for example, by sending “hunt forward” teams to Kyiv in the run-up to Russia’s invasion to strengthen Ukraine’s digital defenses. Since then, U.S. Cyber Command has closely monitored how Moscow uses its digital capabilities, particularly for intelligence purposes.
Kyiv’s cyber officials have remained silent so far about how the U.S.’s new policy will affect its cyber war with Russia.
Ukraine’s presidential office head, Andrii Yermak, said on Wednesday that he had a phone call with Waltz and discussed the location and date of future peace negotiations, as well as “views on security issues” and the bilateral relations between Ukraine and the U.S.
