CIA director John Ratcliffe confirmed that the Trump administration has suspended information sharing operations with Ukraine following a fierce exchange between leaders of both countries on Friday.
In response to questions in a Wednesday interview with Fox's Maria Bartilomo, Ratcliffe did not provide further details about the decision, but said President Trump asked Ukraine to “suspend” when sending weapons shipments and intelligence news.
Ratcliffe said the pause came after President Trump questioned whether he was “committed to the peace process” following a meeting in the elliptical office between the two leaders and whether Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelenkie was “committed to the peace process.” The meeting ended abruptly before the leader could advance the planned signature of the mineral trade in exchange for Ukraine's commitment to financial security.
The CIA director said he thought the suspension would “disappear” but added that he didn't specify when.
It is not immediately clear how a suspension of US intelligence news sharing will affect Ukraine's ability to protect against attacks from Russia.
A CIA spokesman did not respond to TechCrunch's request for comment. Representatives from the Ukrainian government in Kiev and New York did not immediately reply to emails requesting comment.
Since the start of the Russian Ukraine full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has relied heavily on the US intelligence reporting agency, including countering and preventing cyberattacks in Russia's launch. During the war, Russia also targeted Ukraine with a devastating cyber attack that caused a blackout in the middle of winter and knocked out satellite communications used by Ukrainian forces.
Since the war escalated in 2022, the United States has deepened its diplomatic relations and cooperation with Ukraine.
In 2023, the FBI touted its intelligence sharing partnership with Ukraine, saying that federal authorities had provided “viable intelligence” to its Ukrainian partners.
The US has also indicted several Russian-backed hackers, accused of launching a wave of devastating attacks in the Ukrainian government and later.