Rubio denies any pause in US intelligence sharing with Ukraine

Samarkand, Uzbekistan - Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied on Monday that there had been any suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine and called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to "focus" on ending the war with Russia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 19, 2026. He denied the US had suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine.   © REUTERS

"There has been no pause," Rubio told reporters when asked about Ukraine's claims that the US had briefly halted the sending of intelligence to help counter Russia's missile attacks.

The Ukraine leader told media outlets on Sunday that the move had been "deblocked by the American side" after a three-day suspension.

Rubio, who is in Uzbekistan for talks with Central Asian officials, said that President Donald Trump wanted Zelensky and Russia's President Vladimir Putin to concentrate on ending the Russian invasion, now into its fifth year.

Trump defiantly threatens Zelensky over Russia ties: "Great progress is being made"
Donald Trump Trump defiantly threatens Zelensky over Russia ties: "Great progress is being made"

"What he (Zelensky) should be focused on and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war," Rubio said.

"That's what we want everybody to be focused on. That's what we want the Russians to be focused on. That's what we should be focused on. That's what the president has made a priority, is trying to bring a war and an end to this war," the top US diplomat said.

Trump, who says he has made a deal with Russia to secure fuel exports in exchange for the easing of sanctions, has made renewed attacks on Zelensky in recent days over the war.

The president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday that he was making "great progress" in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine, but claimed: "Zelenskyy doesn't care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did."

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"Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States," Trump said.