Marco Rubio denies halt in United States intelligence sharing with Ukraine

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied on Monday that Washington had paused intelligence sharing with Kyiv, Euronews and France 24 reported. The denial followed statements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told American media that intelligence sharing was unblocked after a temporary halt. Rubio urged Zelenskyy to focus on ending the ongoing war with Russia. [1][4]

The denial coincided with fresh Russian attacks against Ukraine. France 24 reported that the Russian Defence Ministry claimed responsibility for a massive strike on targets in Kyiv and its surrounding region on Monday. Russian officials said the bombardment targeted military industrial facilities, cruise missile and drone storage sites, and data centres. [4]

Questions have also emerged regarding Ukrainian access to satellite networks. Al Jazeera, the Kyiv Post, and Ukrinform reported that Rubio confirmed Ukraine currently lacks access to Starshield, the military grade version of Elon Musk's Starlink service. Al Jazeera added that Kyiv requested access to Starshield for deep strikes inside Russia, a proposal Rubio said is under discussion. Meanwhile, France 24 reported that speed caps on commercial Starlink services continue to hinder Ukrainian military operations. [1][3][5][7][8]

Rubio, a former United States Senator for Florida, serves as both Secretary of State and National Security Advisor. Due to recent disputes over American support and network limitations, Euronews reported that Ukraine is pursuing discussions to develop European alternatives to United States air defence systems and Starlink satellite communications. [1][11][13]