CIA Director John Ratcliffe has confirmed that the U.S. has paused its intelligence-sharing operations with Ukraine following a tense exchange between the two countries' leaders on Friday. In an interview with Fox, Ratcliffe did not provide further details about the decision but stated that President Trump had requested a "pause" in sending weapons and intelligence to Ukraine.
Ratcliffe linked this decision to Trump's questioning of whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was "committed to the peace process." This question arose during a meeting between the two leaders in the Oval Office (the office of the U.S. President within the White House). The meeting ended abruptly before they could sign a planned mineral agreement in exchange for U.S. commitments to Ukraine’s financial security. The CIA director mentioned that he believes this "pause" will be temporary, though he did not specify when it would end.
It is currently unclear how the pause in U.S. intelligence sharing will impact Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Ukraine has relied heavily on U.S. intelligence, especially to counter and prevent Russian cyberattacks. During the war, Russia has also launched destructive cyberattacks targeting Ukraine, causing power outages in the winter and disrupting satellite communications used by Ukraine's military.
Since the escalation of the war in 2022, the U.S. has strengthened its diplomatic ties and collaboration with Ukraine. In 2023, the FBI highlighted its intelligence-sharing partnership with Ukraine, noting that it provided "actionable intelligence" to help mitigate attacks and counter disinformation.
The U.S. has also indicted several Russian government-backed hackers for launching destructive cyberattacks against the Ukrainian government and beyond.
