US resumes intelligence-sharing with Ukraine after pause: Zelenskiy
Reuters, Kyiv
Published: 18 Oct 2026, 11:47 PM
US President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, US, 22 September 2026. Photo: REUTERS
The United States has resumed providing Ukraine with
critical intelligence to help it defend against Russian missile strikes, after
a brief pause, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in comments
published on Sunday.
Ukraine has relied on US intelligence to spot the
fast-moving ballistic missiles that Russia has fired in waves at its cities. US
President Donald Trump had said earlier this week that Washington was still
sharing intelligence, despite Ukrainian officials saying some Russian strikes
had occurred without warning.
Speaking to NBC's Meet the Press, Zelenskiy said
intelligence-sharing had been interrupted but later "de-blocked".
"We are very thankful for this," he said.
"Now it works."
But Zelenskiy said that other US actions, such as signing a
deal to import Russian diesel and waiving sanctions on Russia that had been
slated to take effect this week, will hurt Ukraine.
"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," he said.
Over the past week, a widening rift between Trump and
Zelenskiy has sparked concerns that their tumultuous relationship could lead to
even worse outcomes for Kyiv. Zelenskiy told NBC that he hopes Trump will
remain an ally of Ukraine.
"We want to trust him, and I hope that he will change
his decisions," Zelenskiy said. "Because I think that it's all
mistakes and it will not help us. And it will not help United States."
Ukraine gets US help that Russia does not receive, US
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC, citing intelligence-sharing and the
provision of US munitions to other countries for resale to Ukraine.
But Bessent, speaking with "Meet the Press" after
it aired Zelenskiy's interview, did not directly answer when asked multiple
times whether the United States views Ukraine as an ally.
"Zelenskiy presents a false binary this morning that
Ukraine must win," Bessent said. "The war must end, and that will be
with some kind of a negotiated settlement."