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The intelligence-sharing shift is aimed at helping Ukraine target key assets such as oil refineries, pipelines, and power plants
US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy at White House (Reuters Image: File)
The United States will begin providing Ukraine with intelligence on Russian energy infrastructure targets, two US officials told Reuters on Wednesday, confirming a report first published by The Wall Street Journal.
The move comes as Washington considers whether to supply Kyiv with longer-range missiles capable of striking deep inside Russian territory.
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According to the report, the intelligence-sharing shift is aimed at helping Ukraine target key assets such as oil refineries, pipelines, and power plants—part of a strategy to weaken the Kremlin’s wartime revenues. This marks the first known policy shift signed off by US President Donald Trump since he hardened his stance on Russia in recent weeks.
The US has long shared battlefield intelligence with Kyiv, but the expanded support would make it easier for Ukraine to carry out strikes on strategic energy sites within Russia.
American officials have also requested that NATO allies offer similar support, as pressure mounts on Western countries to further isolate Russia economically. The goal is to limit Moscow’s ability to finance its war effort through energy exports, which remain a key source of income for the Russian state.
Trump, now in his second term, has reportedly pushed European nations to curb purchases of Russian oil in exchange for a unified front on new sanctions. He has also floated imposing tariffs on countries like India to deter the import of discounted Russian crude.
The intelligence move comes as the US weighs a Ukrainian request for Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of up to 2,500 km—easily capable of reaching Moscow. Ukraine is also developing its own long-range missile, known as the Flamingo, though production remains limited.
Trump’s support for Ukraine has recently become more vocal. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, “After seeing the Economic trouble (the war) is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.”
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, maintains that the war is a response to NATO expansion. Ukraine and its allies see it as an unjustified invasion and land grab.
Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia downplayed the intelligence shift, stating that US weapons would “will not change the situation on the battlefield.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
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