US cuts intel sharing with Ukraine
By Frank Prenesti
Date: Wednesday 05 Mar 2025
(Sharecast News) - The US on Wednesday said it had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine in a follow up to the suspension of military aid to the war-torn country, hampering its ability to carry out long-range drone strikes on Russian targets.
American officials hinted that both suspensions could be lifted if there was progress on peace talks. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was prepared to sign a minerals deal with the US, although Washington seemed determined to strong arm him into a negotiating position on White House and Kremlin terms.
After an extraordinary fracas in the White House last Friday, which saw US President Donald Trump and his deputy JD Vance shout at the Ukrainian leader - who left Washington without signing an agreement - a letter from Kyiv stated that Zelenskyy was "ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer".
"My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts," Trump quoted Zelenskyy during a rambling address to Congress on Tuesday evening, also claiming he had "serious discussions with Russia" and "strong signals that they are ready for peace".
There was no response from Moscow on whether this was the case. Trump has pivoted American foreign policy towards Moscow and President Vladimir Putin, initiating talks on ending the war but excluding Ukraine and Europe from the discussions.
It also emerged that the US had cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine, with Central Intelligence Agency director John Ratcliffe saying Trump had ordered the move to make Zelenskyy "think about" his commitment to a peace process. The UK was also reportedly blocked from sharing any intelligence provided by the US with its Ukrainian allies, according to the Times newspaper.
Zelenskyy's letter came on the day Trump cut off military aid to Ukraine until further notice. On Wednesday his national security adviser Mike Waltz suggested deliveries could be restored if peace talks were arranged and confidence-building measures taken.
"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 in an interview with Fox News.
In London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been a staunch supporter of Zelenskyy, especially after last Friday's spat with Trump, reiterated the European position that any peace deal needed security guarantees to ensure Russia would not attack again.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey was en-route to Washington to meet his counterpart, Pete Hegseth, in an attempt to overturn the suspension of military aid.
"The way to ensure we have peace is to ensure there are guarantees for any deal that is in place, because the surest risk that there will be conflict is if Putin thinks that he can breach any deal that may be arrived at," Starmer told parliament during his weekly question session.
Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
Email this article to a friend
or share it with one of these popular networks:
You are here: news
10 Lower Thames St,
London EC3R 6EN