LACK OF INTELLIGENCE

Trump’s Bonkers Extortion Plot to Aid Putin Exposed

Ukraine is being cut off from the tools it needs to protect civilians from Russian strikes.

Ukraine has found its defenses stymied as President Donald Trump aligns himself with Vladimir Putin, raising fears that Washington is quietly choking off support to force an end to the war.

After U.S. intelligence officials reportedly warned that intelligence sharing with the war-torn country would stop if Ukraine kept striking Russian oil refineries, Russia carried out several ballistic missile attacks without Kyiv receiving the advance warning from its Western partners that would typically allow civilians enough time to find shelter. Then, on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities reported apparent restrictions on their use of Starlink in military operations.

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, Gen. Alex Grynkewich, was among the officials who made the behind-the-scenes ask, the Washington Post reported, citing a Ukrainian security adviser and a Western official familiar with the matter. These individuals said Ukrainian leaders viewed this message, which came with a reminder that the U.S. is providing weapons for Ukraine’s defense, as a threat.

When reached for comment, NATO told the Post, “Support to Ukraine through PURL continues to flow.” Under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, countries in Europe buy American-made weapons for Ukraine.

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The reported warning from U.S. officials comes after Donald Trump, 80, announced that Russian diesel would no longer be subjected to sanctions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and many others criticized this decision as beneficial to Russia.

It also comes as Ukraine says it has intel that Russia has been building enhanced drones for Iran to use in its war against the U.S. and Israel.

In the days following the reported warning, the Post reports that Russian strikes prompted questions about whether the U.S. has limited intelligence sharing and Ukraine’s access to Starlink, the satellite internet provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Ukraine’s military uses a version of Starlink, called Starshield, for certain operations.

“I confirm that SpaceX implemented speed restrictions on Starlink terminals while in motion last night,” Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelensky on military technology, wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

“Currently, the restriction applies to the StarShield ‘military service package’ and limits speed to 100 miles per hour,” he added. “It is obvious that this move cannot be a coincidence and is linked to the current political situation.”

A Ukrainian Defense Ministry employee told the Post they will still looking into the cause.

“The Defense Ministry themselves doesn’t yet know whether these restrictions are the result of a policy change or a technical limitation,” this person said.

Musk last week wrote on X that Zelensky “has gone too far,” after Trump said Ukraine needed a new leader.

A person familiar with the matter told the Post that U.S. intelligence hasn’t been revoked—or at least not fully—but the threat applies.

“The warnings were so widespread that anyone with a Ukrainian-sounding last name got a call,” this person said.

Zelensky on Tuesday confirmed to NPR radio having received the messages about intelligence sharing and Ukraine’s strikes, but said the threats hadn’t been followed through.

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Also on Tuesday, Trump claimed intelligence was being shared.

“We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end,” he claimed.

As for Russia’s response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “On the one hand, there are statements that assistance continues to be provided; on the other hand, there are claims that various technical problems have arisen and the information chain has been interrupted.”

Russia on Tuesday struck Ukraine’s energy sector in Kyiv and Kharkiv after Trump claimed that a ceasefire had been reached—just because he said so. The Kremlin later said Trump had never laid out specific terms for such a ceasefire, so it effectively did not exist.

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“The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale,” Zelensky said. “Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States. Russia does not consider the American President’s statements strong.”

The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment from the Daily Beast.

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