The decision comes amid pressure for Ukraine to reach a peace deal in its war with Russia.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed Wednesday that the Trump administration ordered a halt to intelligence cooperation with Ukraine, after the administration halted all military aid to the country.
“President [Donald] Trump had a real question about whether President Zelenskyy was committed to the peace process,” Ratcliffe said on Wednesday morning during an interview with Fox News, referring to a statement that Trump made last week after a public disagreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
Ratcliffe said the pause “on the military front and the intelligence front” was temporary, stressing that he thinks the United States will likely again “work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.”
“President Trump is going to hold everyone accountable to drive peace around the world,” he added.
During his campaign and in the early stages of his second presidential term, Trump has said he wants the now-three-year-long Russia–Ukraine war to end and has described the conflict as senseless due to the heavy losses both sides have incurred.
Aside from Ratcliffe, national security adviser Mike Waltz told CBS News in a Wednesday interview that the United States is now “pausing, assessing, looking at everything across our security relationship” when asked about intelligence sharing efforts.
The U.S. government has provided critical intelligence to Ukraine for its fight against Russian forces, including information that helped thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s drive to seize Kyiv at the start of his invasion of the Eastern European country in February 2022.
Trump said in a social media statement last week that after the White House spat, which also involved Vice President JD Vance, he doesn’t believe Zelenskyy wants peace.
After the U.S. pause in aid, Zelenskyy issued a statement on Tuesday saying that he is ready to negotiate for a peace deal and is willing to sign a mineral rights deal with the United States. Waltz made reference to the deal in his Wednesday interview, saying that he is optimistic that the Ukrainian side is moving toward negotiations.
