Rubio Says No Pause in US Intelligence Sharing with Ukraine

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied that Washington paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, contradicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the support had been temporarily interrupted before resuming.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, October 19, during a visit to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Rubio insisted that intelligence cooperation between the two countries had continued without interruption.

“There’s been no pause,” Rubio said, questioning Zelenskyy’s account and urging the Ukrainian leader to focus on efforts to end the war with Russia.

The remarks followed an interview Zelenskyy gave NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, in which he said intelligence sharing had been interrupted but was later restored.

“We are very thankful for this,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the information was working again.

The conflicting statements have raised questions about the continuity of security cooperation between Washington and Kyiv at a critical point in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Ukraine has relied heavily on American intelligence to detect Russian ballistic missiles and other aerial threats, helping its military respond to attacks targeting cities and critical infrastructure.

Ukrainian officials have said some Russian strikes occurred without prior warnings, adding to concerns about the flow of intelligence. US President Donald Trump had previously maintained that Washington was still sharing intelligence with Kyiv.

Rubio’s comments came amid worsening public tensions between the two governments over military assistance, diplomatic negotiations and the direction of efforts to end the conflict.

The US secretary of state said the Trump administration wanted the war to end, urging Kyiv and Moscow to concentrate on that objective.

Zelenskyy has also raised concerns about restrictions affecting Ukraine’s access to Starshield, a satellite communications system developed by SpaceX and used for military purposes. US officials have denied allegations that Washington was responsible for the restrictions.

The disagreement over intelligence sharing underscores the differing public accounts from Washington and Kyiv. As of Monday, Rubio maintained that no suspension had occurred, while Zelenskyy said the information had been temporarily blocked before being restored.