Ukraine War: The US provides intelligence again according to Zelensky

Selenskyj: USA deliver intelligence again - but too late Published October 19, 2026 Last updated October 19, 2026 After a multi-day interruption, the US has resumed the delivery of intelligence to its country, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "It was blocked for some time. And then it was unblocked by the US side," Zelenskyy said in an interview with the US television station NBC. The Ukrainian armed forces had no access to American information for three days during Russian ballistic missile attacks. The interruption weakened Ukraine's defense capabilities, Zelenskyy explained. The problem is now solved. "It works again now," the president said and expressed his "gratitude" for this. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio contradicted this statement. There was no "pause" in the delivery of intelligence, Rubio said on Monday during a visit to Uzbekistan. At the same time, he called on Zelenskyy to focus on ending the war with Russia. "What he should focus on and what we want to focus on is to end this war," the US Secretary of State explained. No timely warning about Russian missiles again Despite the resumed cooperation according to Ukrainian information, the relevant authorities in Kyiv apparently did not receive timely warnings for new Russian air attacks. "Another Russian attack with ballistic missiles occurred in several waves during the night, and again there was no timely warning from our partners," said President Zelenskyy. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, there was no warning before the first wave of attacks, but there was one before the second. Experts investigated the incident together with their partners, said Air Force Spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat. According to Ukrainian information, at the attacks on Monday night, at least three people were killed. Russia fired 16 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as more than 200 drones at targets across the country. Air defense reported the shooting down of a total of 247 projectiles, including four cruise missiles and 243 drones. A woman died in the capital, and two more people died in the industrial city Kryvyi Rih. The attacks also hit the Charkiv and Dnipro regions in the east, Odessa in the south, as well as Volyn and Rivne in the west of the country. Dispute over Starlink restrictions The temporary slowdown of the satellite internet system Starlink is causing further tensions between Washington and Kyiv. The service of the US company SpaceX, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is of great importance to the Ukrainian armed forces. Through the system, drones are controlled and military information is transmitted. After US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Ukraine for its attacks on Russian oil facilities, Kyiv complained about restrictions on Starlink. The throttling impaired the use of Ukrainian drones and made air defense against Russian attacks more difficult. Zelenskyy suspects a political decision by Washington behind the restrictions. He believes "it was a message from the US government to limit the speed. And technically, SpaceX did it," the Ukrainian president said on NBC. Musk had also demanded Zelenskyy's replacement a few days earlier, as had Trump. The US government firmly rejected the accusation of political interference in Starlink. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the claim "very reckless". "President Trump and Secretary Rubio categorically stated that no one in the Trump administration did this," Bessent also said on NBC. Trump defends the suspension of Russia sanctions The disputes fall into a phase of growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv. Trump had already suspended the sanctions against Russia by decree on Friday. The measures were originally to come into force two days later. The sanctions package was adopted by the US Congress in mid-September and named after the Republican Senator Lindsey Graham who died in July. The President's decision also faced criticism within his own party. Trump defended his course of action on Sunday on his Truth Social platform. He is negotiating an end to the Ukraine war and wants "to do nothing that would drag Russia off the negotiating table". The US President explained that "great progress" would be made in the talks. Trump justified the suspension of the sanctions with the "national interest of the United States". Zelenskyy had previously accused Washington of "rewarding" Russian President Vladimir Putin with the decision and "encouraging" further attacks. The Kremlin called the suspension of the sanctions a "historic moment". Report on planned summit with Putin, Trump, and Xi There are now indications of a possible new diplomatic initiative by Moscow. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Putin has reportedly proposed a summit meeting with Trump and Chinese state leader Xi Jinping. The meeting could take place in November. The goal would be to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war that has lasted more than four years on terms favorable to Russia. The newspaper referred to a former Russian intelligence officer. According to him, Putin made the proposal during a phone call with Trump on October 9. There is no independent confirmation of the alleged summit plan. pgr/pg/AR (dpa, afp, rtr)