US cuts intelligence for Ukraine, adding pressure for peace deal

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK March 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. has paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to cooperate with U.S. President Donald Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.

The suspension, which could hurt Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian missile strikes, followed a halt this week to U.S. military aid to Kyiv. It underscores Trump's willingness to play hardball with an ally as he pivots to a more conciliatory approach to Moscow from what was strong U.S. support for Ukraine.

The pressure appears to have worked, with Trump on Tuesday saying he received a letter from Zelenskiy in which the Ukrainian leader said he was willing to come to the negotiating table.

"I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause I think will go away," Ratcliffe told Fox Business Network.

"I think we'll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have to push back on the aggression that's there, but to put the world in a better place for these peace negotiations to move forward," he said.

Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told another Fox program that the president would consider restoring assistance to Kyiv if peace talks are arranged and unspecified confidence-building measures taken.

A source familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Trump administration had halted "everything," including targeting data that Ukraine has used to strike Russian targets.

A second source said intelligence-sharing had only "partially" been cut, but was unable to provide more detail.

Washington on Monday halted militar...
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