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By Brendan Cole and Ellie Cook
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The U.S. has banned its allies, including the U.K., from passing on American intelligence, according to new reports, a move set to cut off Ukraine's access to vital information used to coordinate strikes and protect its cities in its fight against Russia.
Several British outlets, including the Daily Mail and Financial Times newspapers, reported intelligence agencies and military bodies in the U.K. and other allies have been ordered not to share U.S.-generated intelligence.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox Business that the U.S. had stopped intelligence to Ukraine along with its weapons shipments, but suggested that the pause could be lifted as Washington works with Ukraine toward peace.
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Ukrainian officials were not informed by the Trump administration in advance of reports that Kyiv's access to U.S. intelligence via allies would be cut, Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told Newsweek.
Merezhko, other Ukrainian officials and a British defense official said they could not confirm whether Kyiv's access to U.S. intelligence had been cut. Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon and the Ukrainian defense ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
Ukraine needs intelligence from its backers for battlefield operations, to coordinate strikes on Russian bases and identify incoming missile and drone threats. Merezhko said "without intelligence, information, we might go blind" and it would be "very detrimental."
The Trump administration this week suspended military aid heading for Ukraine, pausing deliveries in transit and equipment stored in warehouses in Europe.
This move followed a spat between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office on Friday, which widened the gulf between Washington and Kyiv and rallied European countries around Ukraine.
What To Know
The U.S. formally blocked its allies from sharing U.S. intelligence with Ukraine although assets inside Ukraine were likely to continue passing on relevant intelligence to Kyiv, it was reported.
However, that would not apply to time-sensitive and high-value intelligence which is needed for precision strikes on movable Russian targets.
Over the course of the war, the U.K. and other Western security partners such as Australia and New Zealand have shared such knowledge with Ukraine.
But the Mail reported that British intelligence agencies and military outlets have been ordered not to share U.S.-generated intelligence, previously known as "Rel UKR," which is short for "Releasable to Ukraine."
This top-level security classification has now been removed pending further notification in a decision which will affect the U.K.'s GCHQ, the spy agencies and intelligence branches of the Ministry of Defence.
What People Are Saying
The Daily Mail: "The United States has banned Britain from sharing intelligence from Washington with Ukraine as part of its withdrawal of support for Volodymyr Zelensky."
John Helin, military analyst with Black Bird Group, on X: "This likely has more significant and immediate ramifications for Ukraine than the end of weapons and funding to Ukraine, considering the extensive intelligence capabilities of the U.S."
CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox Business: "I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away."
What Happens Next
It is unclear how blocking U.S. intelligence will impact Ukraine's battlefield efforts and air defense network, but the move could be another lever by the Trump administration to force Ukraine toward the negotiating table with Russia.
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