Despite much anticipation, especially after a premature Reuters article earlier in the day, President Trump’s Tuesday night address before Congress didn’t include any new unveiling or announcement of an agreed-to minerals deal. Trump only said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent him a letter that affirmed Ukraine was ready to work toward peace with the US.
Zelensky in the letter indicated he stands “ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.” He wrote, “We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.” But new action announced Wednesday suggests otherwise.
Trump also in the speech explained that Zelensky informed the administration that he’s ready to sign the deal which would grant the US access to revenue from his country’s rare earth minerals and other natural resources “at any time that is convenient for you.”
But clearly the details haven’t been hammered out and fully agreed to yet, and there was no done deal to announce – it didn’t even feel like a signed deal was on the immediate horizon, and Trump moved on from this topic rather fast in what was overall a whopping hour-and-forty minute long address.
Perhaps this is why the newest headlines covering the deteriorating Washington-Kiev relationship report that the US has now cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine. “The US has cut off intelligence-sharing with Kyiv in a move that could seriously hamper the Ukrainian military’s ability to target Russian forces, according to officials familiar with the matter,” Financial Times reports.
If accurate, this appears a direct punitive measure in response to Zelensky refusing the sign the minerals deal, and last Friday’s blow-up in the White House with Trump and Vance.
The halt in intelligence sharing also follows on the heels of Monday’s announcement by the White House it is suspending all military aid deliveries, or a major pause in arms without which Ukraine’s forces cannot last for long against the vastly better armed Russian army.
“US intelligence co-operation has been essential for Ukraine’s ability to identify and strike Russian military targets,” FT continues in its Wednesday report. “Three officials familiar with the decision confirmed that Washington had frozen intelligence channels with Kyiv.”
“While the US has also formally blocked its allies from sharing US intelligence with Ukraine, two officials said that recipients with assets inside the country were likely to continue passing on relevant intelligence to Kyiv,” FT adds.
But the report notes that allies are able to still provide “time-sensitive and high-value intelligence, such as that needed for Ukraine to conduct precision strikes on moveable Russian targets” – likely including assistance in the cross-border attacks using Western weaponry which have blown past Russia’s red lines.
CIA Director confirms intelligence cut-off…
CIA Director John Ratcliffe just told @MariaBartiromo U.S. paused weapons shipments AND intelligence to Ukraine in the fallout of meeting in the Oval Office. Ratcliffe says he looks forward to lifting the pause and working with Ukraine towards peace following the letter to POTUS
— Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence) March 5, 2025
Below are the key remarks of the CIA’s Ratcliffe given to Fox News Wednesday morning
“Trump had a real question about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process, and he said let’s pause,” Ratcliffe told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo in an interview on Wednesday.
“I want to give a chance to think about that and you saw the response that President Zelensky put out,” Ratcliffe added, “So I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away.”
Given how long NATO military and intelligence has been deeply embedded in Ukraine, helping build and improve its intelligence-gathering infrastructure, the flow of intel from the West is likely to continue for the time being. But certainly the US intelligence cut off will soon be felt by Kiev forces, and for now constitutes an even bigger blow on a symbolic level.
Meanwhile, CNN has separately detailed, “A senior US military official said the US has already curtailed some intelligence sharing, including carrying out fewer intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights that could impact both offensive and defensive operations including air defense, since Ukraine depends on US intelligence for overwatch.” All of this could send Zelensky rushing to tell Washington he’s ready to finalize a minerals deal, unless Europe has convinced him of an alternate plan – though the EU will unlikely be able to fill the defense and intelligence gap left by the US absence.
Loading…
