White House says Ukraine weapons and intel pause will lift when Russia talks set
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Ukrainian soldiers practice firing a heavy machine gun on Feb. 20, 2025 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Photo: Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
The U.S. will continue to suspend weapon supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine until a date for peace talks with Russia is set, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The U.S. decision to pause military aid is increasing pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to move toward negotiations with Russia to end the war.
Behind the scenes: One U.S. source with knowledge of the details said the suspension of intelligence sharing mostly focuses on information that could help Ukraine conduct attacks inside Russian territory.
- A second source close to the Ukrainian government said the intelligence-sharing pause was the key issue that convinced Zelensky to put out a statement on Tuesday expressing regret for his public spat with President Trump and committing to peace talks.
- The source said that while Ukraine could have managed for quite some time without U.S. weapons, the suspension of intelligence sharing has immediate negative effect on the Ukrainian army's operations.
What they're saying: CIA director John Ratcliffe confirmed in an interview on Fox Business that Trump ordered a pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
- "President Trump had a real question about whether President Zelensky is committed to a peace process. He said let's pause. I want to give you a chance to think about this, and you saw the response, President Zelensky put out a statement saying I am ready for peace," Ratcliffe said.
- He added that the pause on weapons supply and intelligence "will go away and we will work with Ukraine shoulder to shoulder as we have to push back on the aggression that is there but to put the world at a better place for this peace negotiations to move forward."
The other side: Zelensky's chief of staff Andrei Yermak wrote on X that he had a phone call with Waltz.
- "We discussed the next steps towards a just and lasting peace. We also exchanged views on security issues and the alignment of positions within the framework of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United States. We have scheduled a meeting for our teams in the near future to continue this important work," he wrote.
What to watch: Waltz said in his interview on Fox and Friends that he spoke on Wednesday morning with his Ukrainian counterpart about possible dates and locations for talks between Ukraine and Russia and about appointing negotiation teams.
- "If we can nail down these negotiations and move towards these negotiations and put confidence building measures on the table, the President will take a hard look at lifting this pause ... Yesterday and today [were] a positive step forward," Waltz said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.
