Trump administration pauses flow of intelligence to Ukraine

The U.S. has paused its intelligence sharing with Ukraine, cutting off the flow of vital information that has helped the war-torn nation target Russian invaders, but Trump administration officials said Wednesday that positive talks between Washington and Kyiv mean it may only be a short suspension.

Information about Russia’s intentions and military movements has been critical to Ukraine’s defense and a strong indication of support from the U.S. and other Western allies. The suspension comes after Trump paused military aid to Ukraine and is another sign of how he has transformed America’s relationship with close allies.

“We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship,” national security adviser Mike Waltz said Wednesday.

Comments from top Trump administration officials suggest the decision is part of the broader negotiations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, and that intelligence could begin flowing to Ukraine again soon.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the suspension a “pause” and said it came after the disastrous meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week. Ratcliffe said Trump wanted to know that Zelenskyy was serious about peace.

“On the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen will go away, and I think we’ll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have,” Ratcliffe said.

U.S. intelligence assistance is vital for Ukraine to track Russian troop movements and select targets. Ukrainians use the information when operating U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS , and the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS .

Intelligence from the U.S. and other allies also helps Ukraine prepare for Russian attacks , and supplied critical information in the war’s early days that allowed Ukraine to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hopes for a quick victory.

The CIA declined to respond to questions about the change in intelligence sharing.

Ukraine could soon be receiving intelligence from the U.S. once Zelenskyy shows to Trump he is serious about participating in talks on Trump’s terms, Waltz said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”

“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,” he said. “We have to know that both sides are sincerely negotiating towards a partial, then permanent, peace.”

The moves by the new administration have dismayed leaders in Europe and Democrats in Washington, who say Trump is depriving a key American ally of assistance they need to fight Russia.

The flow of information to Ukraine has saved lives, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday.

“The idea that we will now withhold life-saving intelligence from Ukrainians who are fighting and dying is unforgivable,” Himes said.

Officials in Ukraine declined to comment Wednesday on the country’s intelligence sharing relationship with Washington. CIA officials also declined to respond to questions.

It’s unclear whether the American suspension affects the intelligence sharing ties between Ukraine and other Western powers, including four of the Five Eyes, an intelligence sharing coalition of the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, would not confirm whether the U.K. is still supplying Ukraine with intelligence from the United States.

He said Britain was “will do everything to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position across all aspects of our support, particularly around defense and security, and our position hasn’t changed.”

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal and Illia Novikov in Kyiv contributed to this report.

美国已暂停与乌克兰的情报共享，切断了帮助这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家打击俄罗斯入侵者的重要信息的流动，但特朗普政府官员周三表示，华盛顿和基辅之间的积极会谈意味着这可能只是暂时的暂停。

掌握俄罗斯的意图和军事动向对乌克兰的国防至关重要，也是美国和其他西方盟友支持乌克兰的有力信号。此次暂停援助是在特朗普暂停对乌克兰的军事援助之后发生的，这再次表明他已经改变了美国与其亲密盟友的关系。

国家安全顾问迈克·沃尔兹周三表示：“我们已经退后一步，暂停并重新审视这一关系的各个方面。”

特朗普政府高级官员的评论表明，这一决定是特朗普与乌克兰总统泽连斯基就与俄罗斯达成和平协议进行更广泛谈判的一部分，情报可能很快就会再次流入乌克兰。

中央情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫称此次暂停为“暂缓”，并表示这是在上周特朗普与泽连斯基在椭圆形办公室举行灾难性会晤之后做出的决定。拉特克利夫说，特朗普想确认泽连斯基对和平的诚意。

拉特克利夫说：“在军事和情报方面，导致这种情况发生的停滞期将会结束，我认为我们将像以往一样与乌克兰并肩作战。”

美国的情报援助对乌克兰追踪俄军动向和选择目标至关重要。乌克兰在使用美国提供的“高机动性火箭炮系统”（HIMARS）和美国陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS）时会利用这些信息。

来自美国和其他盟友的情报也帮助乌克兰为应对俄罗斯的攻击做好准备，并在战争初期提供了关键信息，使乌克兰得以挫败俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京快速取胜的希望。

中央情报局拒绝回应有关情报共享方式改变的问题。

沃尔兹在福克斯新闻频道“福克斯与朋友们”节目中表示，一旦泽连斯基向特朗普表明他认真地按照特朗普的条件参与谈判，乌克兰可能很快就会收到来自美国的情报。

他说：“我认为，如果我们能够敲定这些谈判，推动谈判进程，并切实提出一些建立信任的措施，那么总统就会认真考虑解除停火协议。我们必须确保双方都在真诚地为实现部分和平，进而实现永久和平而进行谈判。”

新政府的举措令欧洲领导人和华盛顿的民主党人感到失望，他们表示，特朗普正在剥夺美国一个重要盟友对抗俄罗斯所需的援助。

美国众议院情报委员会首席民主党议员、康涅狄格州众议员吉姆·海姆斯周三表示，向乌克兰提供的信息挽救了生命。

“我们现在竟然要对正在战斗和牺牲的乌克兰人隐瞒救命情报，这是不可饶恕的，”希姆斯说。

乌克兰官员周三拒绝就该国与华盛顿的情报共享关系置评。中央情报局官员也拒绝回答相关问题。

目前尚不清楚美国的暂停是否会影响乌克兰与其他西方国家（包括“五眼联盟”中的四个国家，即美国、加拿大、英国、澳大利亚和新西兰组成的情报共享联盟）之间的情报共享关系。

英国首相基尔·斯塔默的发言人戴夫·帕雷斯拒绝证实英国是否仍在向乌克兰提供来自美国的情报。

他说，英国“将竭尽全力使乌克兰在各个方面的支持中处于尽可能强大的地位，尤其是在国防和安全方面，我们的立场没有改变。”

美联社驻伦敦记者吉尔·劳利斯、驻葡萄牙里斯本记者巴里·哈顿和驻基辅记者伊利亚·诺维科夫对本报道亦有贡献。