Trump Official Warns Zelensky Over US Intelligence Claim: ‘Be Very Careful’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to exercise caution following Zelensky's statement that U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine was temporarily halted during Russian ballistic missile attacks. This exchange took place in separate NBC's Meet the Press interviews on Sunday, as tensions rose between Zelensky and the administration of former President Donald Trump over U.S. support for Ukraine and Trump's approach to Russia.

Zelensky stated that U.S. intelligence sharing "was blocked for some period of time" before being restored, emphasizing that Ukraine had lost essential U.S. intelligence during the attacks. However, Bessent, when asked about the cause of the disruption, admitted he did not know. He stressed that President Trump and Secretary Rubio had explicitly denied involvement in the interruption, describing it as "very reckless" for Zelensky to make such a claim.

Ukrainian officials had previously reported receiving no advance warning from their partners for two waves of missile attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to The New York Times. Reports suggested that may have been due to the use of S-400 missiles, which can limit warning time. On Sunday, Zelensky claimed that intelligence sharing had indeed been blocked before being restored, despite the White House denying any such action.

He also alleged that a restriction limiting the speed of Starlink, a satellite network used by Ukrainian forces, was a U.S. government decision. When pressed on whether the U.S. considers Ukraine an ally, Bessent reiterated that the U.S. provides support to Ukraine, but not to Russia. Zelensky, while uncertain about the specifics of the administration's decisions, expressed hope that the U.S. would reconsider its actions.