U.S. may have withheld warnings to Ukraine on deadly Kyiv strikes
The Trump administration may have withheld intelligence warnings to Ukraine about Russian strikes that killed 6 and cut power to 600,000 people, sources say.
Key points
- Multiple sources told CBS News the U.S. may have withheld early warnings of Russian strikes on Ukraine this week.
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine received no advance warning from its partners before Tuesday's attack and reported 39 ballistic missiles and 120 drones on Wednesday.
- The U.S. early warning system appeared to work again for Wednesday's strikes, and Trump denied stopping intelligence sharing.
The U.S. may have intentionally withheld early warnings of Russian strikes on Ukraine this week, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine "received no advance warning from our partners" when Russia launched a ballistic missile barrage at Kyiv and other locations early Tuesday.
The sources said American officials told their Ukrainian counterparts that the system used to detect Russian missile launches had failed due to "bad weather." Ukrainian officials, speaking anonymously because of the topic's sensitivity, told CBS News they did not believe that explanation and accused the U.S. of "playing" with the system.
What officials said
When Russia launched another wave of ballistic missiles around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the sources said the U.S. early warning system appeared to be working again. The sources said the U.S. had failed to provide intelligence on Russian ballistic missiles during one previous instance earlier this year, citing the need to focus more resources on the Middle East.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Russia launched more than 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions overnight, mainly targeting energy and critical infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv. He said the attack killed six people and left some 600,000 without power.
No, we haven't. We help them, but we're really helping them get to a final answer. We want the war ended.
— President Trump
Trump and intelligence sharing
President Trump, asked Tuesday whether 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." He also said the U.S. is sharing intel and working with both Ukraine and Russia to end the war.
Russia began launching strikes soon after Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an "energy ceasefire." Earlier this week, the Trump administration threatened to stop sharing intelligence and to halt European allies' purchase of U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine through the PURL procurement system if Ukraine did not stop deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, a European and a Ukrainian official told CBS News.
Starlink disruptions
Ukrainian officials and soldiers told CBS News that Ukraine's military began experiencing difficulties Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with Starlink, the satellite technology owned by SpaceX's Elon Musk. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense told CBS News that SpaceX unilaterally restricted the operation of Starshield terminals while in motion on the night of 14 October, complicating drone missions and reducing frontline logistics, reconnaissance and signal relay.
The ministry said it is in contact with the U.S., SpaceX and NATO partners, collecting data from all units, and testing backup communication channels. The Starlink restrictions were first reported by the Kyiv Independent and the Financial Times. CBS News has reached out to SpaceX, the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
As Zelenskyy arrived in the United Kingdom on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and other officials, he called for a U.S. response to the strikes. He wrote on X that the strike was deliberate and demonstrative, and asked America and the world to respond harshly.
