The Gazpromneft Petroleum Refinery in Moscow, Russia, 27 October 2022. Photo: EPA / Maxim Shipenkov
The US has been sharing intelligence with Kyiv to facilitate Ukrainian strikes on energy facilities deep inside Russia “for months”, The Financial Times (FT) reported on Sunday, citing unnamed Ukrainian and US officials.
Intelligence sharing by the Trump administration has “intensified since midsummer”, the FT said, allowing Kyiv to launch strikes on “important Russian energy assets including oil refineries far beyond the frontline”.
In August, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Trump administration had been covertly blocking Ukraine from striking Russia with long-range missiles, effectively reversing the policy of the Biden administration, which in November finally approved Kyiv’s use of US-made weapons to strike targets deeper inside Russia.
Earlier this month, the WSJ reported that US President Donald Trump had given the green light for US intelligence agencies and the Pentagon to assist Kyiv with strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, but that officials were awaiting written guidance before they began sharing targeting data.
However, the FT reported on Sunday that Trump had given his approval for the US to provide intelligence for such strikes as early as July, following a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Following that call, the White House denied claims that Trump had asked Zelensky whether Ukraine could “hit Moscow and St. Petersburg” in an attempt to force the Kremlin to negotiate an end to the war if Washington provided it with long-range missiles.
Intelligence provided by Washington helps the Ukrainian military with “route planning, altitude, timing and mission decisions”, the FT said, adding that it also allowed its drones to bypass Russia’s air defences.
While one official said Ukraine selected targets for strikes before receiving intelligence on their “vulnerabilities” from Washington, other sources told the FT that the US had also identified “target priorities” for Ukrainian drones to attack.
On Sunday, Trump again suggested that he may send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if the war is not “settled” in the near future, a week after he said he had “sort of made a decision” on whether to supply Kyiv with the US-made weapons.
Vladimir Putin has insisted that any US transfer of long-range Tomahawks to Kyiv would signify a “new stage of escalation” in both the war and in Russia-US ties, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Sunday reiterated Moscow’s “extreme concern” over Trump’s remarks.
