The United States is set to provide Kyiv with intelligence on Russia’s long-range energy infrastructure, deep within the country, according to multiple reports. The new development will reportedly allow Ukraine to attack refineries, power stations, and pipelines more easily, as Kyiv seeks to destroy Moscow’s energy sectors, which it utilizes to finance the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. Putin brought it on himself.
The United States is also requesting NATO allies provide similar intelligence support to Kyiv, according to the Wall Street Journal, who cited U.S. officials. The report followed a separate major development, involving the Trump administration’s consideration of providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles to carry out the strikes deep within Russian territory. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to the report, proclaiming that the “United States of America [already] transmits intelligence to Ukraine on a regular basis online.”
“The supply and use of the entire infrastructure of NATO and the United States to collect and transfer intelligence to Ukrainians is obvious,” Peskov added. Furthermore, the U.S. has in fact provided Ukraine with intelligence support since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. This includes sharing battlefield information, satellite imagery, and data to help Ukraine defend itself. However, Washington, D.C., has been careful about how that intelligence is used.
Following the recent collapse of peace talks, President Donald Trump has seemingly shifted his approach to become more critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, while declaring that Ukraine “is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.” In both providing Ukraine with the intelligence required to strike energy infrastructure deep within Russia and potentially providing the weapons to carry out the attacks, the Trump administration is signaling that it is moving towards a more active approach.
The new approach may be a calculated attempt to pressure Russia into ending the war in Ukraine, although some analysts argue that it could result in potentially disastrous consequences, as Moscow possesses the world’s largest nuclear stockpile.