Did US Cut Off Intelligence Sharing? Ukraine Says It Failed to Receive Early Airstrike Warnings for Two Days

Concerns are growing that the Donald Trump administration may have cut off intelligence sharing as Ukraine claimed for the second consecutive day that it did not receive early warnings from the West ahead of Russian missile attacks on Kyiv.

According to The New York Times (NYT), Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv on the night of the 12th, local time.

Air raid sirens sounded only after the missiles were fired, leaving residents with no time to evacuate.

During a second ballistic missile attack on the night of the 13th, the sirens also sounded late.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media, "Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv, but once again, there were no warnings from our partners."

He added, "Russia is destroying our energy infrastructure, yet Ukraine is not even receiving early warnings about ballistic missile launches," calling it "completely unjustified."

As Ukraine lacks large-scale satellite reconnaissance capabilities, it relies on intelligence from the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to detect signs of attacks, such as Russian air base activity, naval vessel movements, and the deployment of ballistic missile launchers.

Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, stated regarding the attack on the 12th that Western intelligence "sometimes" fails to arrive, adding, "This is not the first time."


The United States maintains that intelligence sharing is continuing.

When asked on the 13th whether intelligence provisions could be cut off if Ukraine does not stop its attacks on Russian oil refineries, President Trump replied, "We are helping them and we are sharing intelligence."

The Ukrainian foreign minister also stated on the same day that intelligence sharing remains ongoing, explaining that the failure to detect the attack on the 12th was due to Russia's use of a special type of weapon.

Some military experts also pointed out that Russia has been utilizing S-400 missiles and other systems that are difficult for Western satellites to track.

This suggests that rather than the U.S. cutting off intelligence, the launches may simply not have been detected beforehand.

However, some point out that it is unusual for the West to fail to detect attacks twice in a row.

Concerns over a suspension of U.S. intelligence sharing arose after President Trump agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase millions of tons of Russian diesel.

This agreement is a measure aimed at lowering diesel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Reports indicate that during a meeting in Miami last week, the U.S. explained this agreement to the Ukrainian side and pressured them that military intelligence would not be shared if attacks on Russian oil refineries do not cease.

The Trump administration has previously used intelligence sharing as a lever to pressure Ukraine.

Following a clash between the two leaders at a White House meeting in early 2025, the U.S. temporarily suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine for several days.

Regarding the Russian airstrike on Kyiv on the night of the 12th, President Zelenskyy stated that the target was the No. 4 Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHP-4).

Russia has intensively targeted Ukraine's power generation facilities as the winter season approaches.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that at least two people were killed and about 20 others were injured in the attack.

Although President Trump announced on the 11th that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to a truce regarding the energy sector which took effect immediately, it is effectively not being observed.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.