Trump’s rift with Ukrainian leader Volodormyr Zelensky continues to grow…
CIA Director John Ratcliffe revealed that the Trump administration has halted intelligence support as part of its decision to withhold military aid to Ukraine following last week’s Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Zelensky.
During an appearance with Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo, Ratcliffe directly tied the decision to Trump’s skepticism over Zelensky’s commitment to the peace process.
Ratcliffe added that Trump wanted to “pause” aid following the clash.
Ratcliffe also let slip, however, that withholding military aid meant withholding intelligence, too.
“I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen I think will go away and I think we’ll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have to push back on the aggression that’s there, put the world in a better place for these peace negotiations to move forward,” explained Ratcliffe.
A senior U.S. military official, speaking to CNN after the revelation, said that intelligence-sharing had already been curtailed, including fewer surveillance flights that could impact Ukraine’s air defenses and overall battlefield awareness.
Despite the current animosity between the two leaders, a potential economic deal is reportedly still in the works.
On Tuesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky released a statement earlier in the day in which he shifted his tone following the disastrous meeting with Oval Office last week which ended with Trump kicking him out.
“We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same,” he wrote. “Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.”
Zelensky also thanked the United States and Trump for providing support to his country.
“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence,” he said. “And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.”
It’s not clear whether any terms of the deal have changed following the meeting last week.
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You would think the Russians would take advantage of an intelligence shutdown. Who is getting punished here, and who is given the advantage? I can just imagine temporarily cutting off intelligence during WWII. The Axis would have a field day (or two). Why does all of this smack as catering to Russia? All I can figure is that there is a lot of money at stake in making sure that Russia gets all the concessions it wants.