Zelenskyy Says US Briefly Blocked Missile Intelligence Sharing, Rubio Says There Was No Pause
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the United States interrupted intelligence sharing with Ukraine for about three days during recent Russian ballistic missile attacks, leaving Kyiv without the American early warnings it depends on, and that the flow was then de-blocked by the American side.
The claim came in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press that aired Sunday. Zelenskyy thanked the US for resuming the flow and said only the United States has the unique intelligence to warn of incoming Russian ballistic missiles. “We are very thankful for this,” he said. “Now it works.”
Rubio Denies Any Interruption
The denial came as Rubio continues his swing through Central Asia, meeting leaders of the five post-Soviet states in the region. “There has been no pause,” he told reporters in Samarkand, adding, “I don’t know where he’s getting these things or why he’s saying these things to the press.” He said Zelenskyy should be focused on ending the war, as Reuters reported from the scene.
Asked about a separate wrinkle, Rubio said that “a few nights ago there was a software problem” with the early warning system and that US European Command had looked into it. The Guardian noted American officials had never mentioned a software glitch before. Meanwhile the Financial Times reports Ukraine is receiving “partial” intelligence on Russian ballistic missile strikes, and a senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that “bad weather” had been given as an excuse three times.
A Relationship Under Strain
The dispute is the latest sign of deepening friction between Washington and Kyiv. President Donald Trump has spent recent days attacking Zelenskyy on social media, writing that the Ukrainian leader “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” while saying he is negotiating peace and does not want to drive Russia from the bargaining table. Trump has also criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, which Zelenskyy has vowed to continue.
For now, Kyiv says the intelligence is flowing again. What the two sides cannot agree on is whether it ever stopped, a disagreement that cuts to the heart of Ukraine’s ability to defend its cities against fast-moving Russian ballistic missiles.
