CIA Support for Ukraine Continues Amid Tensions Between Trump and Zelenskyy

A report by The Atlantic, citing current and former intelligence officials, says the US Central Intelligence Agency continues to support Ukraine’s intelligence services and is intensifying covert efforts directed at Russia, despite strained relations between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The reported activities suggest that intelligence cooperation may remain an important part of US policy even as diplomatic disagreements persist.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe is described as occupying a difficult position: advising Trump while overseeing an agency that officials say plays a significant role in Ukraine’s defense. A Baltic intelligence official quoted in the report characterized CIA operations against Russia as more aggressive than during the Biden administration. Ukrainian and Western intelligence officials also reportedly praised Ratcliffe’s understanding of the war and the threat Russia poses to Ukraine and its allies. These assessments are attributed to sources cited by the publication and have not been independently verified here.

The report also revisits Ratcliffe’s August visit to Moscow, where he allegedly presented the CIA’s assessment that neither Russia nor Ukraine was achieving a decisive victory. According to the account, the assessment emphasized Russia’s limited progress and Ukraine’s inability to recover all occupied territory. Ratcliffe reportedly briefed Zelenskyy on the visit during a meeting in Ireland in September.

The article notes that Ratcliffe would have followed a presidential order to suspend intelligence assistance if Trump had issued one. This highlights the distinction between the agency’s operational role and the administration’s authority to set policy.

Overall, the report portrays intelligence cooperation as a continuing factor in US-Ukraine relations, even amid political tensions and efforts to negotiate an end to the war.