The U.S. Has Resumed Full-scale Intelligence Sharing With Ukraine
- 18.08.2026, 18:21
Kyiv turned the tide.
The exchange of intelligence between the U.S. and Ukraine has resumed in full, as Kyiv’s strikes against Russia continue to have a significant impact on the Russian oil industry, writes Defense News.
According to Forbes, the CIA has been working closely with Ukrainian intelligence agencies since 2014, transforming a partnership based on assistance and training into a bilateral exchange of intelligence.
“However, this relationship nearly collapsed in February 2025, when a contentious meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended with Washington temporarily suspending the flow of intelligence and weapons to Kyiv,” the article noted.
However, Senator Mark Warner, the senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that both countries overcame previous obstacles and returned to a strong partnership in the intelligence sphere.
“I don’t want to go into details, but the situation has improved,” Warner emphasized in an interview with Politico.
According to the senator, the current cooperation has helped Kyiv gain an advantage—drones and long-range missiles are now striking targets deep within Russian territory.
“Although U.S. weapons deliveries attract the most attention among everything Washington is providing to Ukraine, intelligence is the U.S. asset that Kyiv cannot replace, especially for long-range strikes that are now making headlines,” the article adds.
According to The Atlantic, citing American and Ukrainian sources, such intelligence is being used as part of a strike campaign, specifically in “target packages for strikes against Russian military positions in Ukraine and against energy infrastructure on Russian territory.”
The publication’s sources called the intelligence “the only thing the United States still provides for free,” giving credit to CIA Director John Ratcliffe for maintaining this state of affairs.
At the same time, Defense News suggests that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has risen in the eyes of U.S. President Donald Trump, as Kyiv is increasingly waging the war on its own terms, extending it deep into Russia. As a result, Ukraine appears less dependent and is beginning to resemble an ally that has something to offer in return.
“Trump doesn’t like losers,” one Western intelligence official told the publication.
In particular, another member of the Intelligence Committee John Cornyn (a Republican from Texas) and Roger Wicker (a Republican from Mississippi), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Politico that they see a direct link between the White House’s assessment of Ukraine’s successes on the front lines and Kyiv’s access to intelligence.
“It seems that’s exactly the case. Everyone loves a winner, and by all accounts, Ukraine has turned the tide,” Cornyn emphasized.