Rubio Denies US Suspension of Intelligence Sharing With Ukraine

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied claims that Washington suspended intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, following remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that critical intelligence support had been restored to help his country defend against Russian missile attacks.

Rubio made the clarification on Monday while speaking to reporters during a visit to Uzbekistan, insisting that there had been no interruption in the sharing of intelligence between the United States and Ukraine.

“There has been no pause,” Rubio said, adding that the priority should be finding a way to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

His comments followed Zelenskyy’s disclosure that intelligence-sharing had previously been interrupted but had subsequently resumed.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press programme on Sunday, the Ukrainian president said the interruption had been resolved, allowing Kyiv to regain access to the intelligence it needed to defend itself against Russian attacks.

“We are very thankful for this,” Zelenskyy said. “Now it works.”

Ukraine has relied on American intelligence and satellite communications to detect and respond to Russian missile attacks, including fast-moving ballistic missiles targeting cities across the country.

The country has also depended on Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade satellite communications system, to support its defence operations.

The dispute over intelligence-sharing comes amid continuing Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and growing uncertainty over Washington’s approach to the conflict, which has lasted more than four years.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly complained that some Russian attacks, including strikes on the capital, Kyiv, occurred without sufficient warning.

Meanwhile, a Russian missile attack on Kyiv overnight killed a woman and injured several other people, according to the city’s Mayor, Vitali Klitschko, who disclosed the incident on Telegram on Monday.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the attack also damaged a metro station, a medical facility, an educational institution and a non-residential building.

Zelenskyy has also expressed concern over recent American decisions involving Russia, particularly Washington’s temporary relaxation of some sanctions on Russian fuel supplies.

He warned that such measures could undermine Ukraine’s position in the war, especially if the United States moved closer to Russia diplomatically and economically.

“If the United States will officially take the side of Russia, of course if these two countries will be together, of course, we will not prevail, and we will not be able to stand,” Zelenskyy said.

US President Donald Trump, however, defended his decision to temporarily waive certain sanctions on Russian diesel, arguing that the move was intended to support ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump said he did not want to take any action that could push Russia away from the negotiating table.

“My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” Trump wrote.

He also accused Zelenskyy of lacking a genuine commitment to ending the war, arguing that continued European financial assistance had not encouraged the Ukrainian leader to pursue peace.

Trump further accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting Russian oil refineries in an attempt to damage his Republican Party’s prospects in the November 3 midterm elections.

The US president’s administration has faced pressure over rising fuel prices, which have increased since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February.

Trump has temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel shipments, allowing additional supplies to enter global markets in an effort to reduce fuel costs.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also rejected Zelenskyy’s suggestion that Washington’s actions had weakened Ukraine’s position, saying the Ukrainian president had presented a misleading picture of the conflict.

Speaking on Meet the Press, Bessent said the war would ultimately have to end through a negotiated settlement.

He also dismissed allegations that the Trump administration was responsible for any slowdown in SpaceX satellite communications affecting Ukraine.

“President Trump and Secretary Rubio have categorically said that no one in the Trump administration did that,” Bessent said, describing Zelenskyy’s allegation as reckless.

Rubio, meanwhile, said Trump remained interested in ending the conflict, although he was unable to confirm reports of a possible meeting involving Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss a settlement.

“There’s been talks of a meeting. I don’t know whether it’s been finalised, but the president has been clear. He’d like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end,” Rubio said.

The latest exchanges highlight continuing disagreements between Washington and Kyiv over intelligence support, sanctions against Russia and the best approach to securing a negotiated end to the war.

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