CIA Director Ratcliffe Confirms Intelligence Cut to Ukraine
The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, confirmed that intelligence support and military shipments to Ukraine were cut off after the dispute between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ratcliffe stated that this decision was made following the debate in the Oval Office, as he mentioned in an interview on the American Fox Business channel. He said, “President Trump had questions about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process and said ‘let’s pause’.”
Referring to a letter sent by Zelensky to Trump, in which Zelensky expressed willingness to return to the table for peace negotiations and sign a rare earth elements deal with the US, Ratcliffe remarked, “You saw the response from President Zelensky. Thus, I believe that the halt in military and intelligence fronts will be lifted.” Emphasizing his belief that the decision to suspend intelligence sharing will soon be reversed, the CIA Director expressed his confidence in working alongside Ukraine to resolve the issue.
Reports in the US media indicated that following the dispute in the Oval Office last Friday between Trump and Zelensky, Washington temporarily suspended intelligence support and military shipments to Kiev. Trump and Zelensky clashed in front of the cameras in the Oval Office, resulting in the cancellation of a joint press conference and Zelensky abruptly leaving the White House. The rare earth elements agreement was also canceled.
President Trump accused Zelensky of disrespecting the American people, while Zelensky defended himself, claiming he had done nothing wrong. Zelensky subsequently met with European leaders after the US and attended a Ukraine-focused summit in London, where European countries, particularly the UK, declared their support for him.
In a sudden move, President Trump halted military aid to Ukraine, but later, speaking in Congress, he revealed that Zelensky had sent him a letter expressing readiness to sign the rare earth elements agreement and engage in peace talks.
