US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied claims that Washington temporarily suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine, contradicting President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the arrangement had briefly been interrupted before being restored.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Zelensky said intelligence sharing between the two countries had been halted for a period but was later resumed.
“We are very thankful for this,” Zelensky said. “Now it works.”
However, Rubio dismissed the Ukrainian president’s account on Monday while speaking to reporters during a visit to Uzbekistan.
The US secretary of state insisted that intelligence sharing had never been suspended and questioned why Zelensky had made the claim publicly.
“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 visiting Registan Square, a historic complex of madrassas in Samarkand.
Rubio also urged Zelensky to focus on ending the war with Russia rather than making statements about intelligence cooperation.
“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,” he said.
The disagreement is the latest development in a series of conflicting statements between Washington and Kyiv, as relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply in recent days.
Dispute Over US Support for Ukraine
Zelensky has also accused the US government of being behind recent restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield, a satellite communications system developed by SpaceX that is considered important for defending against Russian drones and missiles.
US officials have also denied those claims.
Ukraine has depended on American intelligence to detect Russian ballistic missiles, including those launched in waves against Ukrainian cities.
Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump said Washington was continuing to share intelligence with Ukraine. However, Ukrainian officials reported that some Russian attacks had occurred without warning, raising questions about whether intelligence was being provided as usual.
The conflicting accounts have added to uncertainty over the state of intelligence cooperation between the two countries as Ukraine continues to defend itself against Russia’s invasion.
