U.S. President Donald Trump ordered that intelligence cooperation with Ukraine be halted as well as military aid, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe says pause is leverage against Ukrainian President Zelenskyy for peace talks but lawmakers say people could die as result.

The U.S. has paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to co-operate with U.S. President Donald Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.

Since President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the surprise arrest of a man accused of taking part in the killing of 13 U.S. service members in Afghanistan, his top national security aides have repeatedly disparaged the Biden administration as either unwilling or unable to bring those responsible to justice.

US authorities have stopped intelligence sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed on Wednesday.

According to the officials, Trump wants an agreement giving the United States access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, including rare earth metals. However, he also expects to see changes in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s stance on peace talks,

The United States paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but not completely. They stopped providing data that could help the Armed Forces of Ukraine strike at Russian territory, according to SkyNews.

Officials say the halt in assistance is a warning to the Ukrainians of the consequences of not cooperating with the president.

The United States halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday, a move that could weaken the Ukrainian military’s ability to target Russian forces on the battlefield.

Trump's decision to essentially blind Ukrainian forces marks a major twist in the Russia-Ukraine war as the US has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since invasion began in February 2022.

On Wednesday, the Reuters agency, citing the British newspaper "Financial Times", reported that the United States has stopped sharing intelligence data with Ukraine.