CIA Director John Ratcliffe announced on Wednesday (Mar 5) that the US has paused intelligence support and weapons shipments to Ukraine. This comes after the tense White House spat between the US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week on February 28.

Advertisment

The fallout between Kyiv and Washington was shortly followed by the US freezing military aid to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia for over three years. In addition to that, the US has now paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Also read | Trump address to Congress: US president to lay out vision amid Ukraine war, trade tensions

“Trump had a real question about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process, and he said let’s pause,” Ratcliffe told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo during an interview on Wednesday (Mar 5).

Advertisment

“I want to give a chance to think about that and you saw the response that President Zelensky put out,” he added. “So I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away.”

Also read | Putin ‘trying to tick a box’: Russia sends troops on ‘suicide missions’ to seize Ukrainian land ahead of talks

Ratcliffe said that the pause on military and intelligence front was temporary and the US will again “work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.”

Advertisment

According to White House national security adviser Mike Waltz, the suspension is likely to remain in effect until the president determines that Ukraine “had demonstrated a good-faith commitment to peace negotiations with Russia.”

Ukraine ‘ready for talks with Moscow’

Meanwhile, on Tuesday (Mar 4), Trump said that Zelensky told him that Ukraine was ready for talks with Russia and finalise the minerals deal with the US.

Also read | US President Donald Trump considering sanction relief for Russia: Report

Trump said that Zelensky told him Kyiv was ready for talks with Moscow and the finalisation of a US minerals deal, as Ukraine works to move on after the Oval Office spat.

Also read | Trump speech: Zelensky offers to sign minerals deal 'any time', says US president

During his presidential address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump read aloud a letter from Zelensky. 

"Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians,” the US president said.

(With inputs from agencies)