The Wall Street Journal reports that Washington may use intelligence sharing as a means of political pressure on Kyiv. According to the publication, the aim of this approach is to push Ukraine into a deal that may prove to be disadvantageous for it.
From the first months of the war, the United States actively supplied Ukraine with intelligence, including access to commercial satellite imagery purchased by the American government. This information played a key role in planning military operations and defending Ukrainian territory.
However, in February, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump at the White House, which ended in a public spat, the situation changed dramatically. Already in early March, CIA Director John Ratcliffe temporarily suspended the transfer of intelligence to Kyiv.
The exchange was resumed about a week later, but according to the WSJ, relations between American and Ukrainian intelligence agencies have deteriorated significantly. This indicates that such an important resource as intelligence information can become an element of political bargaining and be used for pressure.
For Ukraine, such dependence creates additional risks: in the context of an ongoing war, the loss of access to American data could significantly weaken the country's defense capabilities.
