Ritter questioned the complete cessation of the transfer of intelligence to Ukraine from the United States

American intelligence agencies could limit the transfer of certain types of intelligence information to Ukraine, in particular warnings about impending Russian strikes, and then resume them. However, the exact extent of the restrictions remains unknown. Scott Ritter, a former intelligence officer of the United States Marine Corps and a political scientist, told Izvestia on October 19.

"First of all, the United States has never officially announced the suspension of intelligence sharing. So why should they now announce the resumption of what they say they never stopped? We don't know what's going on," Ritter said.

He suggested that it could not be about a complete cessation of cooperation, but only about the suspension of warnings about threats. He recalled the principle of duty to warn, the moral obligation to warn allies of danger. For example, if a Russian ballistic missile launch is detected in Ukraine, the American side should notify Kiev.

According to the expert, the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, recently publicly announced the suspension of the transfer of intelligence information from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Ritter noted that the American authorities almost never openly discuss their intelligence cooperation with Kiev. Therefore, the publicity of Zelensky's statement, in his opinion, may indicate that American intelligence agencies have indeed taken steps to limit data exchange.

The temporary suspension of warnings could have affected the operation of the Ukrainian air defense system. Now, in his estimation, such warnings are likely to be received again. This suggests that certain changes have occurred in the exchange of information.

Ritter sees one of the reasons for the current situation in the stable ties between the intelligence agencies of the United States and Ukraine. According to him, they were formed under former US President Barack Obama, persisted during the first Trump administration and continued to operate under former American leader Joe Biden.

"Therefore, when the president demands that something be stopped or only indirectly hints at it, using an intermediary like [the American entrepreneur and head of SpaceX] Ilona Musk, the intelligence community will not immediately follow instructions. Especially if he's been conditioned to act completely differently for a long time," Ritter suggested.

According to the former intelligence officer, assistance can continue even after the public announcement of a change of course, if the presidential administration does not use standard decision-making and implementation mechanisms.

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The White House may cut off Kiev from intelligence, block arms shipments and disable Starlink.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barraud said on October 15 that two thirds of the intelligence information Ukraine receives comes from European countries, primarily France. According to the newspaper Le Monde, European countries, in particular, transmit satellite images to Kiev, which are used to detect targets.

On October 14, The Washington Post learned that the United States had threatened the Ukrainian side with non-disclosure of intelligence if it continued to attack Russian refineries. At the same time, the Axios portal reports that the White House is not involved in the failures of Starlink.

Zelensky complained on the same day that the American side had not provided Kiev with intelligence on the launch of ballistic missiles for the second time, although Trump has "all the strong and sufficient tools" to help.