The United States cut the secret services with Kyiv, two American officials said to seriously hinder the ability of the Ukrainian military to dismiss Russian armed forces.
The decision to cut the secret services and military help for Ukraine shows that the willingness of the Trump government to play hardball with an ally to force the negotiating table when the relationships between the countries were tense.
Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser, told reporters on Wednesday morning that the United States “had taken a step back” and that the administration “checked” all aspects “of its intelligence relationship to Ukraine.
Three sources trusted with the situation also confirmed Reuters that the US intelligence sharing had stopped. It was not immediately clear to what extent the United States had reduced parts.
CIA director John Ratcliffe characterized the development as a break in an interview with Fox Business Network.
“I think on the military front and the secret service front, the break, I think I will disappear,” Ratcliffe told Fox Business Network.
Reaction times could be affected, says expert, says expert
The United States made Ukraine available for its fight against the armed forces of Moscow Critical Information, including information that contributed to thwarting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s drive at the beginning of his full invasion in February 2022.
The White House stopped military help for Kyiv on Monday after a catastrophic Oval Office meeting on Friday, in which US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought about heated confrontation in front of the media. The collision delayed the signing of a framework for a US Ukraine investment fund to extract minerals in Ukraine.
Some experts said that the intelligence suspension of the US secret services would affect Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian armed forces, which would take around 20 percent of the country’s territory. Trump was critical of American weapons on the campaign street, which were used for strikes in the Russian area.
“Unfortunately, our dependency in this regard is very serious, starting with rocket threats, rocket attacks and with what is happening in Russia, in the temporarily occupied areas in relation to strikes,” said Mykola Bielieskov, a research member at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies.
Part of the loss could be compensated for by purchasing commercial satellite images, but only military satellites could determine rocket starts, he said.
The intelligence agency suspension will also make the defense of Ukraine against Russian air and rocket attacks, said Bielieskov, who regularly met civil buildings such as schools and hospitals and have killed hundreds of non-combats.
“We will have less time to react, more destruction, potentially more victims, everything will be very, very, very weak,” he said.
Careful optimism about renewed conversations
The European countries strive to increase defense spending and maintain support for Ukraine after the freezing of military aid has affected doubts about Washington’s commitment to European NATO allies.
Before the Oval Office Blowup, Trump also ended Putin’s isolation with the Russian leader and the conversations between Russian and US adjutants in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, from which Ukraine and its European allies were excluded.
In his speech to the Congress on Tuesday evening, Trump said that Kyiv was ready to sign a contract for the exploitation of the critical mineral interludes of Ukraine, which the US leader has asked to repay the costs of the US military aid. He did not provide any further information.
Front burner29:37An obituary for the post -war order
Trump also said he had “serious discussions with Russia” and received strong signals that they were ready for peace.
“It is time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” he said.
Waltz also said that the United States was actively in discussions with Ukraine about negotiating negotiations on a mineral contract and a potential peace agreement with Russia.
“I think we will see the movement in a very short order,” he said.
In the meantime, in his nightly speech on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said that in cooperation with the USA there was a “positive movement” and that he would expect results next week in which a future meeting between the two sides is involved.
Regardless of this, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said that “views on security issues and the orientation of positions” had also “exchanged views” and planned a meeting of the Ukrainian and US civil servants in the near future to continue this important work. “
