New blow to Ukraine as Trump ends intelligence-sharing that’s vital for war effort | BBC News

More US support for Ukraine has been withdrawn, with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirming that Washington has stopped sharing US intelligence. He said the Trump administration was pausing and reviewing "all aspects of this relationship".

The US has shared intelligence with Ukraine since the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The loss of intelligence will cause Ukraine serious problems in maintaining its war effort. The information helps Ukraine’s defence, for example providing warning of Russian attacks and is also required for offensive capabilities including targeting.

The US had already paused military aid to Kyiv following a dramatic breakdown in relations in the Oval Office last week, when Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was told to leave after an angry meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron announced a meeting of European army chiefs in Paris next week, saying in a televised speech that France must be prepared to move forward without US help. "I want to believe the US will stay at our side, but we must be ready if that is not the case," Macron said.

It remains unclear if the pause in US intelligence sharing is temporary or permanent. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that Donald Trump "had a real question about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process, and he said ‘let’s pause, I want to give you a chance to think about that’."

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Smith, Tom Bateman, James Waterhouse and James Landale.

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