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US pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine

5 March 2025 · written 8 June 2026

On 5 March 2025 CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business that President Donald J. Trump had ordered a pause of US intelligence sharing with Ukraine, characterising the move as an instruction to “take a step back.”1 National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, in remarks to CBS News and on Fox & Friends the same day, said: “We are pausing, assessing, looking at everything across our security relationship,” and indicated that the President “will take a hard look at lifting this pause” if Ukraine engages in negotiations.2 The action followed the 3 March 2025 pause of military assistance. Multiple outlets reported that the immediate scope concerned offensive targeting intelligence used to strike inside Russian territory; the treatment of defensive cueing for inbound missiles and drones was contested in early reporting.3

  1. Under 50 U.S.C. § 3091(a)(1) the President must keep the congressional intelligence committees “fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities,” including “significant anticipated intelligence activities.” Whether the pause itself required prior notification under § 3091 is a question the administration’s public statements have not addressed.4

  2. The post-2022 US-Ukraine intelligence channel covered satellite imagery, signals intelligence and targeting cueing flowing through to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR/GUR) and the General Staff. The pause halts that flow; warning of inbound Russian missile and drone launches was reportedly subject to a more limited carve-out.5

  3. US-originated intelligence shared with Five Eyes and NATO partners under control markings remains subject to originator- controlled-dissemination rules under Intelligence Community Directive 710; allied dissemination of US-sourced product marked ORCON to Ukraine requires US release.6 France indicated that it would continue its own intelligence sharing; the United Kingdom’s position is constrained by Five Eyes ORCON practice.7

Footnotes

  1. CBS News, “U.S. has halted sharing intelligence with Ukraine, CIA director says” (Ratcliffe interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business, 5 March 2025). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-has-halted-sharing-intelligence-ukraine-cia-director-john-ratcliffe/ ↩

  2. Axios, “White House says Ukraine weapons and intel pause will lift when Russia talks set” (Waltz to CBS News and on Fox & Friends, 5 March 2025). https://www.axios.com/2025/03/05/us-ukraine-weapons-intelligence-sharing-pause-russia-talks ↩

  3. Washington Post, “U.S. pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine used to target Russian forces,” 5 March 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/05/ukraine-intelligence-trump-russia/ ↩

  4. 50 U.S.C. § 3091(a)(1) (congressional notification of intelligence activities). https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title50-section3091&edition=prelim ↩

  5. New York Times and Washington Post reporting (2022-2024) on the post-February 2022 US-Ukraine intelligence-sharing architecture. ↩

  6. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Intelligence Community Directive 710 (Classification Management and Control Markings), provisions on Originator Controlled (ORCON) dissemination. https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICD/ICD_710.pdf ↩

  7. AFP and BBC reporting (5 March 2025) on French and UK responses to the US intelligence-sharing pause. ↩

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