Contemporary politics,local and international current affairs, science, music and extracts from the Queensland Newspaper "THE WORKER" documenting the proud history of the Labour Movement.
MAHATMA GANDHI ~ Truth never damages a cause that is just.
Friday, 7 March 2025
What we know about the US decision to cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
The intelligence sharing between the US and Ukraine includes people working directly with combat units. (AP Photo: Libkos)
Link copied
The
CIA says the US has stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, less
than a week after a bust-up between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
So, what kind of intelligence had the two countries been sharing and how could this move affect the Russia-Ukraine war?
Here's what we know.
What did the US say?
US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said the Trump administration had taken a "step back" and was "reviewing all aspects" of its intelligence relationship with Ukraine.
CIA director John Ratcliffe confirmed the move but said it was possible that both the military aid and intelligence sharing restrictions could "go away", saying the US would "work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine".
Mr
Waltz said the US was actively engaged in talks with Ukraine about
moving negotiations forward on a minerals deal and a potential peace
deal with Russia.
"I think we're going to see movement in very short order,"
he said.
John Ratcliffe hints the US-Ukraine intelligence sharing military aid could resume but does not provide much detail. (Reuters: Nathan Howard)
What sort of intelligence had they been sharing?
The intelligence sharing between the US and Ukraine included people working directly with combat units, according to former CIA officer Glenn Carle.
"So, everything from down to the tactical level, up to the level of the president's office — strategic," he told the ABC's Radio National Breakfast program.
"It
will consist of everything from human reports to assessments of plans
and intentions and distributions of Russian forces, up to satellite
imagery, which says the Russians have X number of tanks behind this hill
or we expect that they're going to move a platoon here at a certain
time."
Mr Carle said the suspension of intelligence sharing could have an instantaneous impact.
Washington had been sharing intelligence with Kyiv since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
To what extent has the intelligence been cut?
It is not immediately clear to what extent the US has cut back on its intelligence cooperation.
A source familiar with the situation, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the Trump administration had halted "everything", including targeting data that Ukraine has used to strike Russian targets.
A second source said intelligence sharing had only "partially" been cut, but was unable to provide more detail.
What impact will this have on the battlefield?
Ex-CIA
officer Glenn Carle says the withdrawal of intelligence will cost
Ukrainian lives. (ABC listen: Radio National Breakfast)
Glenn Carle told Radio National Breakfast he believed the suspension would lead to more Ukrainians being killed.
"It
will not only cost lives, but it's at the very least going to put the
Ukrainians at more of a disadvantage than they were before," he said.
"It's absolutely consequential and a terrible development."
US intelligence assistance is vital for Ukraine to track Russian troop movements and select targets, the Associated Press reported.
Ukrainians
use the information when operating US-supplied High Mobility Artillery
Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and the US Army Tactical Missile System
(ATACMS).
Intelligence from the US and other allies has also helped Ukraine prepare for Russian attacks, and supplied critical information in the war's early days that allowed Ukraine to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin's hopes for a quick victory.
What happens next?
Comments from top Trump administration officials suggest the decision is part of the broader negotiations between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, and that intelligence could begin flowing to Ukraine again soon.
Addressing
the US Congress on Tuesday (US time) Mr Trump said he was still in
touch with Mr Zelenskyy in the wake of their televised falling out.
But Mr Carle says the move will only weaken Ukraine's hand in any negotiations.
"You have carrots and sticks in a negotiation," he said.
"And
one of the sticks is the effectiveness of allied intelligence support
to the Ukrainian military. If you just give that up, then the Russians
will say, 'Well, thank you very much.'"
No comments:
Post a Comment