US Withholds Intelligence on Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks from Allies
In a move that has raised concerns among US allies, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has ordered that all information related to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations be withheld from US intelligence partners. According to a report by CBS News, a memo dated July 20 directed intelligence agencies to classify all relevant data and subject analysis as NOFORN, meaning it is not to be shared with foreign partners, including members of the Five Eyes intelligence framework.
The Five Eyes partnership, which includes the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, has long been built on a foundation of open intelligence sharing. However, the new directive strictly limits the distribution of materials related to the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, only allowing them to be shared within the agency from which they originated. Diplomatic or military operational intelligence collected outside the US intelligence community, such as security information shared with Ukrainian forces, does not appear to be affected by the directive.
Former US officials have voiced concerns that the sweeping scope of the directive could erode trust between Washington and its allies. Others have pointed out that withholding information in areas of diverging interests is not unprecedented in US practice and is common among Five Eyes partners. Gabbard has been critical of the West’s approach to the Ukraine conflict, suggesting that it was caused by NATO’s refusal to acknowledge Russia’s “legitimate security concerns” regarding Ukrainian membership in the bloc.
The directive preceded talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska on August 15. The meeting, which did not include Ukraine or any US allies, concluded without an agreement on a ceasefire or a peace deal, but both leaders praised the talks as constructive. In the days following the Alaska talks, Trump hosted Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and European leaders at the White House, where discussions focused on finding a path to settling the conflict and security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump later told Zelensky that he had to “show flexibility” and reiterated that Kiev would not join NATO.
The decision to withhold intelligence from US allies has significant implications for the future of the Five Eyes partnership and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to simmer, the international community remains focused on finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
