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In brief

• The CIA continues to share intelligence with Ukraine, including warnings about incoming Russian missiles and drones, despite strained Trump-Zelensky relations.
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly would not oppose a Trump decision to halt intelligence sharing.
• Recent Starlink and early-warning disruptions have raised questions about the reliability of US support.

US Intelligence Flow Continues

The Central Intelligence Agency is still providing Ukraine with intelligence, including alerts about approaching missiles and drones, despite tense relations between Trump and Zelensky, according to The Atlantic. The magazine cited a senior officer who regularly travels to Ukraine and said the agency plays the leading role among American personnel supporting Kyiv (Директор ЦРУ не станет отговаривать Трампа, если тот решит прекратить передачу разведданных Украине — The Atlantic – NV) (Якщо Трамп вирішить перекрити Україні розвіддані, директор ЦРУ виконає наказ, — The Atlantic – Espreso) (ЦРУ продолжает предоставлять Украине разведданные, несмотря на политику Трампа — СМИ – NV).

Agency Role and Operations

A European intelligence official working with the United States on countering Russia told the magazine that CIA operations have become markedly more aggressive than under Joe Biden. Ukrainian officers say that US-provided information has helped their forces strike deeper inside Russian territory (ЗМІ: Якщо Трамп вирішить перекрити розвіддані Україні, директор ЦРУ не відмовлятиме його – Українська правда).

Trump's Stance

The report says Trump has threatened to halt intelligence support until Ukraine stops hitting Russian refineries. Ukrainian officials complained that Trump's line on fuel prices ignores the scale of Ukrainian strikes, which the International Energy Agency said hit refineries on average once every three days in the first eight months of this year. Trump has blamed those attacks for higher diesel prices.

CIA Director's Position

Sources who worked with CIA Director John Ratcliffe told The Atlantic that he sees his role as advising the president rather than shaping policy. If Trump ordered an end to intelligence sharing, Ratcliffe would not try to talk him out of it, even if agency staff disagreed. Ukrainian officials nonetheless trust him to tell the president the truth about the war, not what Trump wants to hear.

Recent Disruptions

Last week Ukraine experienced disruptions in Starlink and US early-warning systems, which limited its ability to detect some incoming Russian missiles and intercept them. A Ukrainian intelligence representative blamed the Americans, though other evidence points to technical faults as the cause of at least some missed interceptions. US officials have not formally cut off the flow of intelligence.