President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the exchange of intelligence between Ukraine and the United States has resumed. According to Bloomberg, Ukrainian and American delegations may also hold talks during the week beginning 19 October. This comes following disagreements over aid to Kyiv and strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Briefly about the main points
- Zelenskyy confirmed the resumption of intelligence-sharing with the United States.
- Negotiations between the delegations may take place during the week beginning 19 October.
- Kyiv had previously complained about the lack of advance warnings of ballistic missile strikes.
- Washington has warned that it may scale back its support as a result of the attacks on the oil refinery.
- The date, venue and participants of the next meeting have not yet been announced.
Problems with ballistic warnings preceded the statement
13 October Zelensky stated that Ukraine had not received advance warning from its partners regarding the launch of five Russian ballistic missiles targeting Kyiv. According to him, the military detected the threat just seconds before the strike.
The President emphasised that real-time intelligence gives the air defence forces time to respond to threats and protect the civilian population. Three days later, he explained that Ukraine receives data from dozens of partners, but it is the US that provides information on the trajectories of Russian ballistic missiles.
On the same day, the US President Donald Trump He denied that the sharing of intelligence had ceased entirely, stating that Washington continues to assist Ukraine. Kyiv’s and Washington’s public assessments of the state of cooperation differed at the time; the extent of the resumed data exchange has not been disclosed.
The strikes on Russian oil refineries have become a source of tension
On 14 October, Zelenskyy confirmed that representatives the Trump administration had warned that intelligence support might be withdrawn if Ukraine continued to attack Russian oil refineries.
The US side linked the need to limit such strikes to the situation on the global energy market and attempts to reach agreements on a ceasefire. Kyiv, for its part, described the attacks on Russian energy infrastructure as a response to the Russian Federation’s systematic strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy facilities.
Reports of restrictions on satellite communications have caused further concern Starshield, which are used by the Ukrainian military. US officials have denied that Trump personally ordered the introduction of such restrictions.
Kyiv expects pressure to be brought to bear on Moscow during the forthcoming talks
Back on 17 October, Zelenskyy reported that Washington had signalled its readiness for further talks. Ukraine is open to these taking place in Ukraine, Europe or the US, as well as in formats involving several countries.
It had previously been reported that Ukrainian representatives had been in contact with the US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff і Jared Kushner. The main topic of the forthcoming meetings has been identified as finding ways to bring the Russian-Ukrainian war to an end.
Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv expects Washington to exert greater pressure on Russia, rather than impose further demands on Ukraine. The date, venue and participants of the next meeting have not yet been publicly confirmed by the parties.
