Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Sunday that the United States had temporarily halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine as a Republican lawmaker called for an investigation into a separate outage affecting Ukraine’s battlefield communications.
Zelensky told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that U.S. intelligence used to detect Russian missile attacks had been restored after a brief interruption.
“We are very grateful for this,” Zelensky said. “It’s okay now.”
President Donald Trump has previously insisted that intelligence sharing never stopped, despite reports from Ukrainian officials that some Russian attacks occurred without warning.
Zelensky also criticized the government’s decision to allow imports of Russian diesel and drop new sanctions against Moscow, warning Washington’s actions could undermine Ukraine’s defense.
“If the United States officially sides with Russia… we will not win, we will not be able to stand,” he said.
Appearing on the same show, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant declined three times to directly answer whether the United States considers Ukraine an ally.
“I’m not the secretary of state. I’m not the president,” Bessant said after repeated questions from host Kristen Welker.
Bessant noted that the United States continues to provide intelligence and military assistance and believes that Washington is seeking to end the war through negotiations.
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Meanwhile, Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Turner called on Congress to investigate interference caused by SpaceX’s Starshield satellite communications system, which the Ukrainian military relies on for battlefield operations.
On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Turner dismissed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s explanation that the economic slowdown was occurring without orders from the White House.
“Absolutely not,” Turner said when asked if Rubio’s explanation was sufficient. “Congress needs to investigate.”
Turner warned that the communications outage could endanger Ukrainian lives and urged Trump to reconsider waiving sanctions on Russia.
The tension also provided fodder for Saturday night’s “SNL UK,” which spoofed Zelensky’s meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
James Austin Johnson once again channeled Trump on Saturday Night Live, crashing the meeting as a fictional Zelenskyy pleaded for StarLink to be reinstated. Trump, led by Johnson, offered to provide any help to Ukraine “as long as it is not war help.”
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