U.S. may have withheld warnings to Ukraine of Russian strikes that killed 6, cut power to 600,000, sources say
The U.S. may have intentionally withheld early warnings this week of Russian strikes on Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The sources said American officials told their Ukrainian counterparts the system used to detect Russian missile launches had failed due to "bad weather." Ukrainian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, told CBS News they did not believe the excuse, and they accused the U.S. instead of "playing" with the system.
The sources said the U.S. had failed to provide intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches during one previous instance earlier this year, citing the need to focus more resources on the Middle East.
President Trump, asked Tuesday if the U.S. had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, said: "No, we haven't. We help them, but we're really helping them get to a final answer. We want the war ended."
"We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end, so we're working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end," Mr. Trump said.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration threatened to stop sharing intelligence and to halt the purchase of U.S.-made weapons by European allies for Ukraine via the PURL procurement system if Ukraine did not stop deep strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, a European and a Ukrainian official told CBS News.
Ukrainian officials and soldiers also told CBS News that Ukraine's military had started experiencing difficulties Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with Starlink, the satellite technology owned by SpaceX's Elon Musk.
"On the night of 14 October, without warning the Defence Forces, SpaceX unilaterally restricted the operation of Starshield terminals ('military package') while in motion. This complicates UAV missions, particularly interceptors and middle-strike drones, and reduces capabilities for frontline logistics, reconnaissance and signal relay," sources in Ukraine's Ministry of Defense told CBS News. "At present, the Ministry of Defence is in contact with the United States, SpaceX and NATO partners, is collecting data from all units, and backup communication channels are being tested and put into use."
On Wednesday, as President Zelenskyy arrived in the United Kingdom to meet with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and other officials, he called for a U.S. response to the recent Russian strikes.
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Dive deeper
- The U.S. may have intentionally withheld early warnings this week of Russian strikes on Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
- The sources said American officials told their Ukrainian counterparts the system used to detect Russian missile launches had failed due to "bad weather." Ukrainian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of t
- The sources said the U.S. had failed to provide intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches during one previous instance earlier this year, citing the need to focus more resources on the Middle East.
- President Trump, asked Tuesday if the U.S. had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, said: "No, we haven't. We help them, but we're really helping them get to a final answer. We want the war ended."
- "We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end, so we're working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end," Mr. Trump said.