The United States will start sharing intelligence with Ukraine again after Donald Trump’s White House withdrew support in protest over Zelensky’s refusal to sign a minerals deal
The United States “will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine”, a joint statement from the US and Ukraine has said.
Ukraine said it is ready to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, the statement added. The proposed ceasefire will be extendable by mutual agreement of both parties, and will need to be accepted by Russia. The announcement came after nine hours of talks between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia today. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said he “would take this offer now to the Russians” and “hope that they will say yes”, adding: “The ball is now in their court.”
Last week, US officials suggested that the withdrawal of intelligence-sharing would be a temporary measure to encourage Ukraine to accept American terms on a peace deal with Russia. “We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship,” U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Wednesday. CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the suspension a “pause.” There had been fears that the US’s decision to stop sharing military intelligence with Ukraine would cripple its ability to strike and defend against the Russian army amid a renewed wave of drone strikes and ground attacks.
Ukraine relies on US intelligence when operating American-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and the US Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS. Ukraine also relies on US intelligence as an early warning system to help it defend against Russian long-range missiles and drone strikes. Having access to the intelligence in early days of the war back in early 2022 helped Ukraine to thwart Putin’s hopes for a quick victory.
In recent weeks, Donald Trump has attempted to strong-arm Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky into signing a deal which would grant the US extensive access to mineral resource’s in the country’s east. The pause on intelligence and military aid came only days after a blistering row in the White House, which saw an angry Trump accuse Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three”.