On February 18, 2022, six days before the full conquest of Russia for Ukraine, the President of the United States at the time, Joe Biden, said he was “convinced” that Moscow had it. I decided to invade Ukraine. When asked how he knew this, Biden said, “We have a great smart ability.”

At that time, the Ukraine government, during the era of President Voludimir Zelinski, was not sure that Biden was diagnosed, insisting that the comprehensive invasion is unlikely.

Biden was right, and Ukraine was wrong.

Since the outbreak of the war, the United States – in addition to billions of dollars in advanced weapons – has shared intelligence with Ukraine using its huge capabilities, defensive assistance KYIV and in planning attacks on Russian forces.

This stopped on Wednesday when US officials confirmed that President Donald Trump had ordered Comment sharing intelligence With Kyiv. The move came two days after military aid that stopped temporarily to Ukraine, amid the sour relations between Trump and Zelinski.

So how much the United States helped Ukraine intelligence during the war? How long will it harm the absence of American intelligence, Ukraine? Can Europe climb and help Ukraine?

Here we know yet.

What happened?

US officials confirmed that Washington had stopped intelligence participation with Ukraine. This is followed by many American media that reported that Trump Stop the military aid To Kyiv, quoting US officials who have not been revealed.

John Ratcliffe, Director of the CIA, confirmed that intelligence stopped in an interview with Fox Business Broadcast on Wednesday.

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz temporarily assured reporters on Wednesday, on the same day. “We have retracted a step back and stopped and reviewed all aspects of this relationship,” said Valz. He added that he was “good talks” about negotiations with Ukraine.

US officials indicated that the stopping stop of military aid and the exchange of intelligence information can be raised if there is a diplomatic breakthrough between Trump and Zelinski.

“I think we will see the movement in a very short time,” Waltz said.

Why did the United States cut intelligence participation with Ukraine?

Alan Fischer of the island from the White House said that the exchange of intelligence information “is just a tool to try to return Ukraine to the table.”

Fischer explained: “They are [the US] He also talked about stopping military aid to Ukraine, which Ukrainians admit will strike their war efforts. “

“It is clear that the threat of these things has succeeded. So when you hear from the National Security Adviser he says things can resume in a short time, it seems that any effect on Ukraine will be limited, at the very least, as long as peace talks certainly appear on the horizon sooner and not later.”

How did we get here?

Trump’s military pause came, and the latter stopped in intelligence participation, after the rising tensions between Trump and Zelinski over the past few weeks.

Trump has transformed US policy on Ukraine, and opened direct discussions with Moscow to end the war. In February, US and Russon officials met in talks hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, leaving Ukraine and its European allies from the discussion.

In the days after that, Trump and Zelinski found themselves involved in an oral quarrel: Trump Zelinski described it as “a dictator without elections”, which is suspicious of his approval classifications. Zelinski returned, saying that Trump was living in the “misleading space.”

On February 28, Zelenskyy With Trump, US Vice President JD Vance and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio at the White House Casablanca. Trump and Fais Zelinski were accused of not thanks enough for the military assistance provided by Washington Kyiv. Days later, on Monday, Trump suspended military aid.

On Tuesday, Zelinski’s accent It turned committedWhen he said that Ukraine is ready to return to the negotiating table. “We really appreciate how much America did to help Ukraine to maintain its sovereignty and independence,” he wrote in his book X.

How did the United States support Ukraine with intelligence so far?

Even before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, the United States supported Ukraine with great intelligence.

The specific details have not been specifically published how important the American intelligence participation in Ukraine is explicitly, but multiple reports, officials and leaks indicate two main areas where they were decisive.

Intelligence – primarily a mixture of satellite images and satellites – allows Ukrainian forces to prepare for the incoming Russian strikes. It also helps them to track the movements of Russian forces and their bases, which allows Ukrainian forces to deploy missiles-including long-range projectiles against them. This includes strikes inside Russian territory using long -term weapons such as Atacms and Himars sent by Western Ukraine allies.

Marina Mirun, post -doctoral researcher at the Defense Studies Department at the King’s College in London, said, “

“You need this information from the Ukrainian perspective in order to target hostile goals such as ammunition and logistical hubs.”

But there is more.

In February 2024, an investigation into the New York Times revealed that after the destruction of a Ukrainian army command center in the months that followed Russia on a large scale, an underground hideout was built to replace it. In this basement, Ukrainian soldiers are tracked by Russian satellites and listening to talks between the Russian army. The base is almost fully funded and partially equipped by the CIA, the Times said.

The report added that there are many espionage rules supported by the CIA in Ukraine, including in 12 secret sites along the Russian border.

The investigation also revealed that around 2016, the Central Intelligence Agency began training the Ukrainian commando force, which was called unit 2245, which seized the drones and Russian telecommunications equipment. Then these devices will be engineered by the CIA to reach the decoding of Moscow. One of the trainers trained in 2245 was Kyrylo Budanov, who is now the head of military intelligence in Ukraine.

Will the intelligence pause affect the fighting capabilities in Ukraine?

She already has.

Charles Stratford from Ukraine from Ukraine said he had spoken with a Ukrainian leader in a unit close to the confrontation line.

He said that his unit and a lot like him are right along the way to 1300 km [808 miles] The confrontation line in the east and south of Ukraine relies on the American intelligence gathering of about 90 percent of the intelligence work that is being done.

Stratford has suggested that Ukraine uses American intelligence for a group of purposes – including, for example, for the national missile system, which is very important to Kiev’s capabilities to demolish the incoming Russian ballistic missiles.

Can Europe help fill the blind Ukraine intelligence?

partially.

European countries also contain spy satellites that can provide some images – but it is not clear whether they are harmonious by providing the type of intelligence that Ukraine needs.

Ukraine also has two commercial spy satellites, manufactured by the Finnish company Iceye. One of them was bought by a non -profit institution, and the other was presented by the German government and the German weapons maker Rheinmetall.

But even with these, it is unlikely that Ukraine or Europe is able to fill the gap left by stopping the sharing of American intelligence, experts say.

“Europe does not have the capabilities of Ukraine’s intelligence from the United States,” Mirun said, adding that this pieces will have an immediate impact on the battlefield. She added that the United States has a “monopoly on military satellite and intelligence.”

In February 2022, you own Elon Musk’s Spacex Starlink has been activated In Ukraine after the invasion of the internet conquest. Miroun explained that the Ukrainian army also depends on Starlink for “Telecommunications, Tactics and FPV use [first-person view] Done -aircraft. ”

On February 20, American negotiators told KYIV that they would close Starlink if Ukraine did not reach a deal on critical minerals, Reuters news agency reported that it was quoting an unknown source that was briefed on the talks. The rare ground mineral deal for the United States allows to invest in Ukraine resources.

Musk is a close ally of Trump.

Miroun said that the capabilities owned by the Ukrainian army due to the difficulty of Starlink “are difficult to match”, although the French satellite operator has made an alternative to some defensive requests. While Starlink has 7000 low -Earth satellites (Leo), Eutelsat has about 630, with support from 35 satellites in higher orbits.