Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two sides have been working on an upcoming meeting, after the US announced it paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that there is “positive movement” in US-Ukraine talks and that both sides have started working towards an upcoming meeting.
Following his nightly address, Zelenskyy posted on X that his chief of staff Andriy Yermak had spoken on the phone with US national security adviser Mike Waltz, hoping “to see some results next week.”
Yermak confirmed the phone call in a separate post. He wrote that he “discussed the next steps towards a just and lasting peace” with Waltz, adding that they exchanged views on “alignment of positions” in bilateral relations between the US and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also mentioned that “a lot of international work” was done on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s EU Summit in Brussels. He spoke with the leaders of the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Germany and thanked them for their support.
It comes as the US has paused its intelligence sharing with Ukraine, cutting off the flow of vital information that has helped the war-torn nation target Russian invaders.
“We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship,” national security adviser Mike Waltz said Wednesday.
But Trump administration officials said Wednesday that positive talks between Washington and Kyiv mean it may only be a short suspension.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the suspension a “pause” and said it came after the disastrous meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week. Ratcliffe said Trump wanted to know that Zelenskyy was serious about peace.
“On the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen will go away, and I think we’ll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have,” Ratcliffe said.
Information about Russia’s intentions and military movements has been critical to Ukraine’s defence and a strong indication of support from the US and other Western allies.
The suspension comes after Trump paused military aid to Ukraine and is another sign of how he has transformed America’s relationship with close allies while also softening towards Russian President Vladimir Putin in his push for Zelenskyy to negotiate a peace deal with Russia.
