A US official says Washington has not altered its intelligence-sharing policy with Ukraine despite Kyiv’s claims of unannounced Russian strikes.
BRUSSELS: The United States has “not changed” its policy on sharing intelligence with Ukraine, a US official said Wednesday, after Kyiv accused Washington of not warning it about incoming strikes.
“The US has not changed its policy on intel-sharing with allies and partners, such as Ukraine,” the US official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Russian strikes hit multiple regions across Ukraine overnight after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had received no advance warning from Western allies before a strike on a power plant in the capital.
Ukraine relies heavily on Western intelligence to detect incoming Russian attacks and help identify targets of its own, but renewed strain with US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on those arrangements.
A senior Ukrainian official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity Wednesday, said the United States was essentially “helping Russia” by not warning Kyiv about incoming strikes and slowing Starlink.
NATO chief Mark Rutte, speaking at a press conference in Estonia, said that Trump had made clear publicly that intelligence sharing had not been halted.
“The president was very clear yesterday when he had a short moment with the media leaving the White House for a campaign event when he said intelligence sharing has not stopped,” Rutte said.
When asked on Tuesday whether the US had cut intelligence sharing, Trump told journalists “no, we haven’t”.
“We help them, but we’re really helping them get to a final answer. We want the war ended,” he said.
“We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end, so we’re working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end.”