The US has reportedly halted the provision of necessary data to Ukraine for the use of HIMARS rocket systems, which are used for long-range attacks against Russia, according to Oliver Carroll, an editor at The Economist.
The decision came after officials in Washington confirmed that they had frozen military and intelligence support for Kiev following a dispute between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
In a report on X, Carroll wrote on Wednesday that “America cut off a critical information channel for warnings at 2 pm Kiev time. Before that, Ukraine was receiving target data for HIMARS. Ukraine is also not receiving real-time information for long-range attacks.”
A source, who remained anonymous, told the journalist that “Trump wanted a thank you.” “We will write it on the graves of dead Ukrainians” the source added, apparently referencing Trump’s statements in which he accused Zelensky of ingratitude for the US aid received by Kiev.
Meanwhile, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that the US has both suspended the information exchange and the provision of weapon systems for Kiev. However, he noted that the restrictions could be lifted if Ukraine demonstrates its commitment to peace talks with Russia.
The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed US and Ukrainian officials, that the freeze on information exchange has resulted in Kiev being unable to target “selected targets in Russia”, which was previously allowed under the Biden administration, with some exceptions.
A Ukrainian military officer told the publication that in the past month, “at least one of the Ukrainian groups responsible for launching rockets from US systems received no coordinates to attack more than 64 kilometers beyond the contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces.”
Another source of the Washington Post explained that the Trump administration will only provide data if it is necessary to protect the Kiev-based troops.
As of November 2024, the US had delivered more than 40 HIMARS systems to Ukraine, along with thousands of rockets, according to the Pentagon. It is unclear how many of the systems are still operational and how much ammunition Kiev has in storage.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of using the HIMARS rockets, which have a range of up to 300 kilometers, for attacks on civilian targets.
Russia has consistently condemned the Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov suggested that if the US were to fully suspend its military aid, it would likely be the best contribution to peace.