Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s view that Washington had paused and then resumed intelligence sharing with Kyiv in the latest disagreement between both sides. Rubio responded on Monday to Zelensky's comments that intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Ukraine had been interrupted, but later "de-blocked." But on Monday, Rubio said, "there's been no pause" and criticized Zelensky for his comments. Rubio's remarks highlight the increasingly tense relationship between Washington and Kyiv, in which Zelensky has taken aim at Trump for easing sanctions on Russian diesel exports and restricting speeds on the Starlink satellite network Kyiv needs for air defense.
"It remains unclear if this rupture is permanent, but Trump's public placing of blame on Kyiv for prolonging the war, may suggest a more serious problem," Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine Forum, at the Chatham House think tank, told Newsweek on Monday. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian president's office for comment. Speaking during NBC's Meet the Press, Zelensky said on Sunday that critical U.S. intelligence needed to inform Kyiv about incoming Russian missile attacks had been paused for three days.
"It was blocked for some period of time," Zelensky said. "Then it was deblocked by the American side. We are very thankful for this." Rubio disputed this on Monday during a visit to Uzbekistan where he is meeting Central Asian officials.
He told reporters, "What he (Zelensky) should be focused on and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had separately warned Zelensky to “be very careful” in saying that U.S. intelligence sharing with Kyiv had been interrupted. Ukraine uses U.S. intelligence for warnings of incoming Russian missile attacks although European allies can provide some intelligence. Ukrainian officials said there was no warning from its partners for two waves of missile attacks last week, according to The New York Times.
"Kyiv clearly would like to restore reliable intelligence sharing with the U.S., but some capabilities could now be provided by the Europeans," said Lutsevych. "Zelensky is right to expose facts of blackmail and pressure on a victim of aggression when all other means of avoiding that are exhausted," she added. The relationship between Trump and Zelensky has ebbed and flowed during the Ukraine war but has gone south in recent days.
Ukraine accused the U.S. of squeezing access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network, hampering Ukraine's ability to launch drones and defend from Russian attacks. John Hardie, from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank, told Newsweek this decision was "inexcusable at a time when Russia is relentlessly attacking power plants and other civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine." and other outlets reported that the idea had come from inside the White House but the Trump administration has rejected the accusation it has deliberately caused the slowdown. Satellite connectivity has been restored, but Ukrainian officials say restrictions affecting use at higher speeds are still in place.
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