Reports have emerged that the US has prohibited the UK from sharing intelligence obtained from Washington with Ukraine. The move, attributed to Donald Trump, 78, is seen as a worrying sign of the US retracting its support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Amidst fears that Ukraine could deplete its weapons stockpile within two to three months, Trump’s decision to halt American military aid to Kyiv adds to the growing concerns.
Furthermore, it has been reported that an explicit directive has been issued to all British intelligence and military bodies, forbidding them from disseminating US-sourced intelligence, previously labelled “Rel UKR” – shorthand for Releasable to Ukraine.
This represents a significant setback for Zelensky, 47, as the UK, along with other Western allies like Australia and New Zealand, has been sharing such information with Ukraine since the conflict’s inception three years ago. With Russia’s aggression persisting, the prohibition is likely to impair Ukraine’s defensive capabilities severely.
The ban impacts key British institutions such as GCHQ, spy agencies, and the intelligence divisions of the Ministry of Defence.
Phil Ingram, a UK military intelligence expert, commented to the Daily Mail: “The United States’s instruction to stop allies sharing US-derived intelligence with Ukraine is what I would expect. The US’s intelligence partners, including Britain, have had their authority to pass on intelligence revoked.
“The US will tightly control distribution of its intelligence to Ukraine through agencies based in Kyiv.”
Mr Trump has today hinted at stepping down from the US’ leadership of NATO, continuing to assert that the UK and France should shoulder more responsibility for continental security. This is a move reportedly recommended by his friend and adviser, Elon Musk, reports The Mirror.
Coupled with the temporary freeze on military aid for Ukraine, experts have described the situation as “very difficult” for the war-ravaged nation. “We have two to three months. After that, the position will be very difficult for us. It will not be a total collapse, but we will be forced to withdraw from some areas more quickly,” a senior Ukrainian official revealed to the Financial Times on Tuesday.
Russia currently occupies around one fifth of Ukraine, including eastern provinces and the Crimean peninsula. Ukraine is holding onto a relatively small amount of territory it captured last year in the southern Russian province of Kursk.
