US resumes intel sharing on Russian missile launches with Ukraine, Zelensky says
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The United States has resumed sharing intelligence about incoming Russian ballistic missiles with Ukraine after a pause lasting several days, President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News' "Meet the Press" in an interview published on Oct. 18.
"Only the United States has this unique intelligence to tell our side when Russia uses ballistic missiles. We didn't receive it during ballistic attacks for three days," Zelensky said.
The U.S. provides Ukraine with intelligence to help its military detect and track Russian missile launches and other aerial threats. Zelensky said the issue had since been resolved and thanked Washington for restoring intelligence sharing.
"We are very thankful for this," he said. "Now it works."
At the same time, he said Ukraine was still experiencing an ongoing speed restriction on its use of Starshield — the militarized version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet system
Asked whether U.S. President Donald Trump or SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had personally ordered the restrictions, Zelensky said he did not know but believed "both" were involved. He added that if Trump decided to lift the restrictions, the service would return to its previous state.
Zelensky also expressed hope that talks with the U.S. could take place next week, despite the ongoing difficulties between Kyiv and Washington.
"I'm very open to this, even with all the difficult circumstances," he said, estimating that a meeting could take place on Oct. 20-21.
The resumption of intelligence sharing follows a Russian missile attack on Kyiv on Oct. 12, when five Russian S-400 missiles struck the Ukrainian capital, causing "massive explosions." Air raid sirens and mobile alerts sounded only after the attack.
A senior Ukrainian official previously told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine's military leadership contacted its U.S. counterparts after the strike to clarify what had happened.
"They say they didn't cut it off, but they didn't warn us (about the attack) either," the official said. "The Americans said they just didn't see (the launch)... That's a weak excuse."
The incident came amid broader tensions over U.S. support for Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent earlier learned that the Trump administration had threatened senior Ukrainian military and government officials in a push to protect Russian oil refineries.
