US warned Ukraine's embassy of risk of losing intelligence if strikes on Russian refineries - WP
US intelligence officials warned Ukraine's embassy in Washington that the US would immediately stop sharing intelligence if Ukrainian forces continued striking Russian energy facilities. The threats come amid the absence of warnings about Russian ballistic attacks on Kyiv and restrictions on the operation of the military satellite communications system Starshield.
The Washington Post reported this on October 14, citing a source familiar with the situation.
According to the source, American officials issued the relevant warning on Monday, October 12. US intelligence representatives directly contacted the Ukrainian embassy and stated that new attacks on Russian oil infrastructure would lead to an immediate halt to the transfer of all intelligence data.
The source noted that the warnings were of such a scale that American officials phoned virtually everyone with a Ukrainian surname. At the same time, according to the source, intelligence sharing was not completely stopped, but the threat remains in force.
Earlier, CBS News reported that the administration of Donald Trump also threatened to block purchases of American weapons for Ukraine by European allies through the PURL program if Kyiv did not stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in an interview with NPR on October 13 that the Ukrainian military received threats regarding cutting off intelligence cooperation. At the same time, he emphasized that as of that moment, they had not been implemented.
Donald Trump himself denied stopping the transfer of intelligence. According to him, Washington continues to help Ukraine and exchange information with it, as it seeks to end the war.
US explained the absence of missile warnings due to bad weather
The threats from Washington coincided with two instances when Ukraine did not receive advance notices from international partners about Russian ballistic strikes on Kyiv.
As previously reported by "Kurs Ukrainy" citing CBS News, American representatives explained the absence of warnings by unfavorable weather conditions. According to their version, due to bad weather, the system for detecting launches of Russian missiles did not work.
However, Ukrainian officials who spoke with the TV channel on condition of anonymity questioned this explanation. They suspect that the US could have deliberately restricted the transfer of information, using the early warning system as a tool of pressure on Kyiv.
CBS News sources noted that already during the next wave of Russian ballistic attacks around three o'clock in the morning on October 14, the American warning system was working again.
Air Force spokesman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat also confirmed that during the next three waves of attacks, international partners transmitted information to Ukraine about the use of ballistic missiles.
According to CBS News, earlier this year there was already a case when the US did not provide Ukraine with information about Russian ballistic missile launches. At that time, the American side explained this by the need to focus more intelligence resources on the Middle East.
There is currently no evidence that the current warnings were deliberately blocked by a political decision from Washington. American officials have not confirmed such a decision, and the reasons for the disruptions remain unclear.
Starshield restrictions intensified Kyiv's concerns
Simultaneously with problems in intelligence sharing, the Ukrainian military encountered unexpected restrictions on the operation of Starlink satellite terminals and the military system Starshield.
According to The Washington Post, presidential adviser on military technologies Serhiy Beskrestnov confirmed the introduction of speed restrictions for terminals. This complicated the use of certain unmanned systems and the execution of military tasks.
At the same time, Axios reported that during October 14, the operation of satellite communications was partially restored. Ukrainian officials contacted the White House, CIA and the Pentagon, trying to find out the reasons for the restrictions.
Elon Musk explained that the military system Starshield is owned by the US government and is under its control. According to him, restrictions on its use are set by the US military, and the final decision belongs to the US president. In contrast, the commercial service Starlink is managed by SpaceX.
At the same time, a senior American official told Axios that the Trump administration is not involved in the satellite communication restrictions. There is currently no confirmation of a connection between these restrictions and the threats regarding intelligence.
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv intensified after Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel fuel. The American president links the rise in fuel prices, in particular, to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Zelenskyy, in turn, points to the consequences of the war in the Middle East and restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Ukrainian president told NPR that strikes on Russian energy and logistics infrastructure are aimed at weakening Russia's ability to wage war. According to him, Ukraine is ready to stop such attacks if Moscow stops strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities.
Based on materials from: The Washington Post, Axios, NPR