(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The Trump administration has paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine on top of the suspension of military aid as part of an effort to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue peace talks with Russia.
The intelligence pause has had an immediate effect on Ukraine’s war effort since it has relied on US intelligence for tracking Russian troops, and it’s required for firing US-provided HIMARS rocket systems.
A US official told Axios that the pause on intelligence sharing was focused on information that Ukraine could use to launch attacks inside Russian territory, operations that have risked provoking a direct clash between the US and Russia.
White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz suggested that the pause on both intelligence sharing and military aid could be lifted once peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are set.
“I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move towards 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,” Waltz said. “We have to know that both sides are sincerely negotiating towards a partial, then permanent, peace.”
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Oval Office argument he had with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance was “regrettable” and insisted he was ready to work toward peace. Zelensky also said he was ready to sign the economic deal with the US that would give the US access to revenues from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and other natural resources.
The Axios report said that the pause on intelligence sharing was the key issue that motivated Zelensky to put out the statement. But so far, Zelensky’s comments haven’t been enough for the US to resume weapons shipments and intelligence support.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe suggested that the US could soon resume supporting the war. He said the pause “will go away, and we will work with Ukraine shoulder to shoulder as we have to push back on the aggression that is there but to put the world at a better place for this peace negotiations to move forward.”
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
