The United States (US) has "suspended" intelligence sharing with Ukraine, said US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe.
The announcement comes after a dramatic deterioration in relations between Kiev and Washington. US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky clashed verbally in the Oval Office last week, and the US announced it was suspending crucial military aid to Ukraine.
Ratcliffe confirmed that intelligence sharing has been frozen as Ukraine continues to fight the invasion launched by Russia in 2022.
"President Trump had a legitimate question about whether President Zelensky is committed to the peace process," Ratcliffe told Fox News.
Ratcliffe said the suspension "on the military front and on the intelligence front" was temporary and that the US would once again work "side by side with Ukraine."
Trump said on March 4 that Zelensky told him that Kiev was ready to talk with Moscow and finalize a minerals deal with the US, as Ukraine tries to overcome a stalemate in the Oval Office.
Zelensky has attempted to improve his relationship with Trump, writing on social media that his clash with the US leader was "regrettable" and adding that he wants to improve the situation.
In his address to the US Congress on March 4, Trump read Zelensky's letter.
"The letter states 'Ukraine is ready to sit at the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. No one wants peace more than the Ukrainians,'" Trump told US lawmakers.
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