Zelensky says US intelligence sharing restored, warns against siding with Russia
In short
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US military intelligence sharing had resumed after an interruption, thanking Washington while warning that siding with Russia would be a historic mistake. Dong-A Ilbo reported that President Donald Trump denied the claim that intelligence sharing had stopped.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States for resuming military intelligence sharing and warned that siding with Russia would be a historic mistake, South Korean outlets reported. Speaking to NBC on October 18, he said sharing, including missile early-warning information, had been interrupted but was now operating normally. Yonhap reported that he said Ukraine had been unable to detect Russian ballistic-missile attacks for three days. Dong-A Ilbo, however, reported that President Donald Trump denied that Washington had stopped sharing intelligence. [ 1 , 4 ]
Zelensky also said restrictions remained on Starshield, the satellite service provided by SpaceX to Ukraine’s military. He said he believed the US government had ordered the restrictions and SpaceX had implemented them, Yonhap reported. Dong-A Ilbo cited NBC as saying Starlink service had since returned to normal speed. Asked whether he still considered Trump an ally, Zelensky said he hoped so. He warned that Ukraine would be unable to win or hold out if Washington formally sided with Russia. [ 1 , 4 ]
The comments followed a dispute over Trump’s agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel sales by easing sanctions. Dong-A Ilbo reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, appearing on the same NBC programme, avoided directly answering three questions about whether Ukraine was a US ally. Bessent pointed to intelligence, Starlink and weapons support and said those were things done for an ally. He rejected Zelensky’s claims about US restrictions, saying Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had firmly denied anyone in the administration had taken such action. On sanctions, Bessent said only the diesel embargo had been suspended and that Trump wanted a 60-day pause to review the situation. [ 1 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Zelensky said Ukraine could not win or hold out if the United States formally sided with Russia. The reports also describe conflicting accounts of restrictions on satellite services used by Ukraine.
Key facts
- Zelensky told NBC on October 18 that US military intelligence sharing had resumed and was operating normally. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Zelensky said restrictions on Starshield service continued. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reported that Trump denied an interruption in intelligence sharing and that NBC said Starlink speeds had returned to normal. [ 4 ]
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent avoided directly answering whether Ukraine was a US ally, Dong-A Ilbo reported. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the United States interrupted intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Zelensky said sharing had been suspended and restored; Dong-A Ilbo reported that Trump denied a suspension.
- Whether restrictions on satellite services remained in place. Zelensky said Starshield restrictions continued, while Dong-A Ilbo cited NBC as reporting that Starlink service had returned to normal speed.