Trump Administration Halts Intelligence Sharing with Ukraine, Pressuring Zelenskyy for Peace Talks with Russia
Washington, D.C. – The Trump administration has confirmed it is withholding crucial wartime intelligence from Ukraine in an effort to compel President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace negotiations with Russia under terms dictated by President Donald Trump. The move has sparked outrage among Democratic lawmakers, who denounce it as another example of the administration’s excessively conciliatory approach to Russia, potentially endangering Ukrainian soldiers and civilians as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his military offensive against Ukraine.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, acknowledged the temporary suspension of intelligence sharing with Kyiv, alongside a halt to U.S. military assistance. He stated these actions were designed to pressure Ukraine to more fully cooperate with the Trump administration’s objective of achieving an immediate resolution to the protracted three-year conflict.
"Trump had a real question about whether President Zelenskyy was committed to the peace process, and he said, ‘Let’s pause, I want to give you a chance to think about that,’" Ratcliffe told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo.
Ratcliffe, however, also commended Zelenskyy, indicating that the Ukrainian president took the appropriate steps by issuing a conciliatory statement following a tense televised exchange in the Oval Office the previous Friday with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, which had triggered the U.S. pullback of assistance.
“President Zelenskyy put out a statement that said, ‘I am ready for peace and I want President Donald Trump’s leadership to bring about that peace,’” Ratcliffe said. “And so, I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away. And I think we’ll work shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine as we have, to push back on the aggression that’s there, but to put the world in a better place for these peace negotiations to move forward.”
The CIA declined to provide further details regarding the specific types of intelligence being withheld, the duration of the suspension, or the conditions for its resumption, despite requests from USA TODAY.
Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, stated on another Fox News program that Trump would consider reinstating assistance to Kyiv if Ukraine agrees to scheduled peace talks and implements unspecified confidence-building measures.
For years, U.S. intelligence has been vital to Ukraine’s defense against Russian ground and air attacks, including the provision of targeting data that enabled Ukraine to strike Russian military installations.
In his address to Congress Tuesday night, Trump revealed that he had received a letter from Zelenskyy earlier that day stating, “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.”
Trump also quoted Zelenskyy as saying Ukraine was ready to sign a deal “at any time” in which Kyiv would give the U.S. a share of its critical mineral deposits, which Trump has demanded to repay the costs of U.S. military aid. The president did not elaborate on the details in his speech.
The decision to withhold intelligence sparked immediate condemnation from the leading Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, which oversee the CIA and the 17 other U.S. intelligence agencies.
“Allied intelligence support has been crucial to enable Ukraine to defend itself from the first days of the conflict in February 2022, to unmask Russian invasion plans and intentions, and to save countless innocent lives,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. “Let me be clear: Cutting off intelligence support to our Ukrainian partners will cost lives.”
Warner described the negotiating tactic as part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to give away “American power to Russia – from voting at the UN with Russia and North Korea and against all of our allies, to directly negotiating with Russia at the highest levels while excluding Ukraine, to refusing to condemn Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship while unjustly calling the democratically elected Ukrainian president a ‘dictator’ and ejecting him from the White House.”
“And, all the while,” Warner said, “Putin has not let up on his illegal assault against Ukraine.”
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called for an immediate end to any pause in intelligence sharing.
“As Ranking Member of the Intelligence Committee, I have observed how critical our intelligence relationship with our Ukrainian partners has been in holding the line against Russia’s relentless and brutal offensive,” Himes said in a statement. “It has saved the lives of Ukrainian servicemembers and civilians alike.”
Himes added that the separate pause on providing military supplies, equipment, and weapons to Ukraine “is unconscionable on its own, but the idea that we will now withhold life-saving intelligence from Ukrainians who are fighting and dying is unforgivable.” The criticism highlights the contentious nature of the Trump administration’s foreign policy approach, which has frequently prioritized direct negotiations and deal-making, even at the expense of traditional alliances and strategic partnerships. The move to leverage intelligence sharing as a bargaining chip in peace negotiations has raised concerns about the potential ramifications for Ukraine’s security and the broader implications for U.S. credibility as a reliable ally. The situation remains fluid, with the future of U.S. assistance to Ukraine contingent on the progress of peace talks and the implementation of confidence-building measures.
