March 5 (UPI) -- The Trump administration on Wednesday cut off most military channel intelligence sharing with Ukraine, officials said.
U.S. national security adviser Michael Waltz confirmed Wednesday to reporters that the United States had "taken a step back, and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship," adding he believed there would be "movement" very soon.
"But I just got off the phone before I walked out here with my counterpart, the Ukrainian national security advisor," he said. "We are having good talks on location for the next round of negotiations, on delegations, on substance."
According to Ukrainian officials and a U.S. defense official cited by The Washington Post, the intelligence provided by the United States used by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia has been cut off
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"Trump had a real question about whether President Zelensky was committed to the peace process, and he said let's pause," CIA director John Ratcliffe told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo Wednesday.
Ratcliffe said he hoped the intelligence cut-off and weapons freeze would soon be lifted.
"I think we'll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have to push back on the aggression that's there, put the world in a better place for these peace negotiations to move forward," Ratcliffe said.
The Trump announcement comes on top of a weapons freeze and as the U.S. sided with Russia in a United Nations Ukraine vote and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering an end to U.S. offensive cyber operations against Russia.
On the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. also joined Russia to vote against a resolution condemning Moscow's unprovoked invasion in violation of the U.N. Charter.
The U.N. approved a European resolution on Ukraine instead. That one said Russia started the war and that the U.N. Charter obligates members to refrain from using force against the "territorial integrity or political independence of any State."
The Trump administration is also pressuring Ukraine to sell mineral rights to the United States and to begin negotiations with Russia on ending the war without U.S. security guarantees and without demanding Russia leave all occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during a contentious White House meeting that Ukraine wouldn't sign a minerals deal without security guarantees.
