# US suspends intelligence sharing with Ukraine as Trump-Zelenskyy tensions widen
Event date: 2025-03-05. The United States has suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine, extending the fallout from the sharp breakdown in relations between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The evidence packet says the pause was confirmed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in an interview with Fox Business. Ratcliffe said he thought the pause on both the military and intelligence fronts would eventually go away, and described the goal as working “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine as peace talks move forward.
The immediate consequence is significant. Ukraine has relied heavily on US intelligence since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, especially for targeting purposes. A pause could make it harder for Kyiv to strike Russian forces, even if the packet says it was not immediately clear how complete the cutoff was.
The suspension comes after Washington also stopped military aid to Ukraine. The packet frames both steps as part of a pressure campaign intended to push Kyiv back toward negotiations after last week’s public clash between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House.
There are signs the White House wants to keep the option of reversal open. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said Trump would consider restoring aid if talks are arranged, and described Zelenskyy’s recent letter expressing willingness to negotiate as a positive first step. The packet also says Trump received that letter on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy’s message matters because it suggests Kyiv is trying to repair the relationship. He said he was ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. The packet says the Kremlin described the letter positively, though it also stressed that the legal and political question of who could sit down with whom had not changed.
The source material places the episode in the context of substantial US support for Ukraine since 2022, including about $86 billion in military aid according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. That scale makes any pause in intelligence cooperation far more than a symbolic move.
The packet does not say the intelligence pause is permanent, and it does not specify exactly which channels were affected. But it does make clear that the shift is being used as leverage in a larger diplomatic effort to force talks.
For Ukraine, the message is stark: battlefield support from Washington is now linked to diplomatic behavior at the highest level. For the Trump administration, the suspension appears intended to create pressure without foreclosing a deal.
