President Volodymyr Zelensky said the US had resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine, ending a temporary restriction that had blocked data flows for “some period of time”. Appearing on NBC's “Meet the Press”, Zelensky said: “We are very grateful for this (the transfer of intelligence to Kyiv - ed.). Now everything is working”.
The timing of the resumption remains unclear. Zelensky did not say exactly when it occurred, though he said the flows had been blocked for “some period of time”. He also said he hoped talks with American delegates could take place as early as the coming week.
The dispute arose after Ukraine carried out deep strikes on Russian oil refineries. US officials conveyed warnings to Kyiv’s embassy, and Washington subsequently restricted intelligence-sharing data flows, according to Zelensky.
Zelensky accused the US of using its intelligence support to press Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. He said Ukrainian officials had been told by US counterparts that “if you will not stop [the strikes], we will block intelligence”.
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On 13 October, Zelensky said the Americans had provided Kyiv with no intelligence about Russian missile launches that night. On 15 October, CBS News, citing sources, reported that the US may have deliberately withheld information about Russian strikes from Kyiv.
The issue carries particular weight because, according to Zelensky, only the US provides Ukraine with information about ballistic missile strikes. In remarks to the Financial Times, he said: “We're done” and described the interruption this way: “It was not a technical problem, it was the will”.
Zelensky said he had restricted attacks on Russian oil infrastructure for three days while Russia continued to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
President Donald Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” on Sunday. Zelensky agreed to it on the condition that Russia also complied, then accused Russia of disregarding the proposed arrangement within hours.
Asked by Piers Morgan on Wednesday night whether he felt betrayed by the US, Zelensky agreed.
Ukrainian defence sources told the BBC that “operation while on the move”, part of Starlink’s military service Starshield, had also been restored. It remains unclear whether limits on the speed at which drones can fly while keeping a Starlink internet connection have been fully lifted.
As diplomatic activity continued, Zelensky met NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels on Thursday as a two-day summit of European leaders began.
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