The key facts
- Rubio: 'There was no pause'; Zelensky: data was blocked for three days and then unblocked by the US
- Trump accused Zelensky of not wanting to end the war and of strikes on Russian refineries affecting the diesel market
- Kyiv also reported restrictions on SpaceX satellite communications; the Trump administration denies this, Ukraine is developing European alternatives
Dispute over intelligence suspension
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, while in Uzbekistan for meetings with Central Asian representatives, rejected claims of a suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine. 'There was no pause,' he told journalists, responding to Kyiv's statements about a brief halt in the transfer of data that had helped repel Russian missile strikes. He added that President Donald Trump wants Zelensky and Vladimir Putin to focus on ending the war, now in its fifth year.
Zelensky's position
Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press' published on Sunday, said the data transfer had been 'blocked for some time' and then 'unblocked by the American side,' for which he expressed gratitude. According to him, only the US possesses unique intelligence on Russia's use of ballistic missiles, and for three days during such attacks Ukraine did not receive it.
Trump's criticism and the refinery issue
Trump, who said he had agreed with Russia to ensure fuel exports in exchange for sanctions relief, has intensified his criticism of Zelensky in recent days. On Sunday on Truth Social he stated he was making 'great progress' in peace talks, but added that Zelensky 'doesn't want to end this war and probably never did,' and that strikes on Russian refineries are seriously hurting the global diesel market, including the US.
SpaceX dispute
Last week Kyiv also reported restrictions on SpaceX satellite services, on which Ukraine depends for battlefield communications — shortly after Trump criticized Ukraine and called for an end to strikes on Russian refineries. Zelensky suggested it was 'a signal from the American government to limit the speed' and that 'technically SpaceX did it.' The Trump administration denies involvement: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the same NBC program called such an accusation 'reckless,' noting that Trump and Rubio 'categorically' stated that no one in the administration did this; he offered no alternative explanation. Elon Musk, who previously called on Zelensky to 'leave,' said on Wednesday that the US government is responsible for any disruptions to the Starshield satellite system.
European alternatives
Meanwhile, Ukraine is advancing plans to create European alternatives to American air defense systems and the Starlink satellite communications. As Zelensky's deputy chief of staff Ihor Zhovkva told Euronews, Kyiv is already holding substantive discussions with European countries about a European air defense system and expects progress noticeably sooner than skeptics anticipate, seeking to reduce dependence on American capabilities amid uncertainty over support from Washington.
