US halts intelligence sharing with Ukraine, CIA director confirms
The U.S. has halted intelligence sharing with Kyiv, threatening Ukraine's ability to strike Russian targets amid the full-scale war, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed to Fox Business on March 5.
“Trump had a real question about whether President (Volodymyr) Zelensky was committed to the peace process, and he said let’s pause,” Ratcliffe said.
The Financial Times earlier reported on March 5, citing undisclosed sources, that the U.S. had halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
The move follows Washington's decision to freeze all military aid supplies to Ukraine following a public spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump. The decision was likely intended to put pressure on Zelensky in peace talks.
Zelensky later issued a statement on March 4 in which he called the Oval Office clash "regrettable" and affirmed commitment to work toward peace under Trump's leadership.
The U.S. president praised Zelensky’s statement in his address to Congress but made no direct comment on releasing military aid.
“I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away,” Ratcliffe added.
There had been conflicting claims as to whether the aid freeze also concerned intelligence sharing, a crucial capability that allows Ukraine to strike Russian targets and track military movement.
Citing an undisclosed Ukrainian official, Bloomberg originally disputed the Financial Times' article, claiming that intelligence sharing is ongoing. The British tabloid Daily Mail previously reported that the U.S. banned the U.K. from sharing Washington-obtained intelligence with Kyiv.
Two officials told the FT that while Washington blocked allies from sharing U.S. intelligence with Ukraine, "recipients with assets inside the country" are likely to continue passing certain information to Ukraine.
The restrictions will nevertheless hamper time-sensitive intelligence crucial for conducting precision strikes against moveable Russian targets, according to the outlet. Sky News supported this claim, reporting that the restrictions are "selective" and are aimed at Ukraine's ability to launch strikes.
Since then, the U.S. media has reported that the aid freeze remains in place, and that it is unclear whether Zelensky's statement that Oval Office clash was "regrettable" was sufficient to lift the freeze.
The Oval Office spat on Feb. 28, after which the U.S. leaders berated Zelensky as "ungrateful" and not "ready for peace," derailed the signing of a much-anticipated natural resources agreement between the two countries.
Ukraine's leader reaffirmed his readiness to sign the deal in his statement on March 4, but CBS News reported that parameters are still unclear as Trump seeks better terms.
Chris York
