Report: US Envoys Threatened to Cut Ukraine's Intelligence Access During Miami Talks
According to the news site Axios, envoys of US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of halting intelligence sharing if Ukraine keeps striking Russian oil refineries. A US official denies any such threat was made.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, envoys of US President Donald Trump, threatened during eight hours of talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Miami on Friday to stop supplying Ukraine with intelligence data if it continues attacking Russian oil refineries, the US news site Axios reported. The matter is significant because access to US intelligence is an important element of support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, while the talks also dealt with terms for ending the war.
Two accounts of the talks
A Ukrainian official told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner said Trump could cut off Ukraine's access to US intelligence if Kyiv keeps ignoring his requests not to hit the refineries. A US official denied such threats were made. According to that official, the envoys stressed that the US is a reliable partner providing ammunition and intelligence, so Ukraine should not take steps that harm American consumers. The official said the refinery attacks hurt Russia but also the United States.
The diesel arrangement
Axios reports that Trump decided to strike a deal with Russia on diesel fuel after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ignored six US requests to halt the attacks on refineries. Zelensky had proposed stopping them on both sides if Russia ended strikes on Ukrainian power plants, but Trump rejected the idea. The US official explained that Trump does not regard the two kinds of attacks as equivalent.
On Friday Trump announced that he had secured Vladimir Putin's agreement to release more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and global markets, promising it would help curb rising energy prices during the war against Iran. The temporary lifting of US sanctions this year to allow Russian oil sales has raised concerns, as it may complicate efforts to reduce Russia's oil revenues.
Security guarantees and postwar plans
The talks focused mainly on security guarantees that the US, Europe and NATO would provide to Ukraine as part of a deal to end the war. New proposals on territorial issues were also put forward. Witkoff and Kushner presented a postwar package that includes funding to rebuild Ukraine's army and ideas for tackling the budget deficit. Participants also discussed Ukraine's road to European Union membership, its relations with NATO after the war, and a postwar security arrangement for Europe and Russia.
The US official said Washington considers Putin open to talks and wants to work on a proposal strong enough to push him to stop.
