Rubio denies US paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, contradicting Zelenskyy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 19 that Washington had paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine. His account directly contradicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement a day earlier that sharing had been interrupted and restored, leaving the status of a service Ukraine relies on for warnings of Russian ballistic missile attacks in dispute.

Speaking to reporters after touring Registan Square, Rubio said, ‘There’s been no pause,’ Reuters reported. AFP separately reported his denial of any suspension. Asked about Zelenskyy’s account, Rubio said the Ukrainian president should focus on bringing the war to an end.

What Zelenskyy said about missile warnings

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had gone without US alerts during three days of Russian ballistic missile attacks. He described US intelligence as uniquely able to warn Ukraine when Russia uses those missiles. Reuters reported that Ukraine has relied on American intelligence to detect fast-moving ballistic missiles fired at its cities.

The disagreement concerns whether those warnings were interrupted at all. Reuters reported that Ukrainian officials said some Russian strikes had occurred without warning, while President Donald Trump had said earlier in the week that Washington was still sharing intelligence. Those accounts do not establish what information was transmitted during the period Zelenskyy described.

A new dispute over US support for Ukraine

Rubio’s statement changes the account from Zelenskyy’s October 18 claim that sharing had resumed: Washington’s top diplomat now says it never stopped. The two leaders’ statements leave the alleged interruption unresolved, including its timing and scope. Rubio said he wanted attention directed toward ending Russia’s war with Ukraine.