US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied that Washington suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine, contradicting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said the flow of information had briefly stopped before resuming.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Uzbekistan on Monday, Rubio said intelligence sharing had never been interrupted.
“I don’t know where he’s getting these things or why he’s saying these things to the press. You should go back and ask him. There’s been no pause,” Rubio said after touring Registan Square, a historic complex of madrassas in Samarkand.
His comments contradicted Zelenskiy’s remarks during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. The Ukrainian president said intelligence sharing had been interrupted but later “de-blocked.”
“We are very thankful for this,” he said. “Now it works.”
Rubio urged Zelenskiy to focus on ending the war with Russia.
“What he should be focused on, and what we want to be focused on, is bringing an end to this war. That’s what he should be focused on,” Rubio said.
The disagreement is the latest in a series of conflicting statements between Washington and Kyiv in recent days, as relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply.
Zelenskiy has also accused the US government of being behind recent restrictions on Ukraine’s use of the Starshield system, designed by SpaceX. The system plays a crucial role in defending against Russian drones and missiles. US officials have denied the allegations.
Ukraine has relied on US intelligence to detect the fast-moving ballistic missiles Russia has fired in waves at Ukrainian cities.
US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that Washington was still sharing intelligence with Kyiv. However, Ukrainian officials reported that some Russian strikes had occurred without warning, raising questions about whether intelligence sharing had continued as normal.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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