World
• Analysis
Trump Administration Ukraine Pressure: US Warned Kyiv of Intelligence Cutoff, Report Says
Ukraine came under intensified Trump administration pressure in the last 48 hours: at a Friday meeting, a Ukrainian negotiating team was told intelligence assistance would be cut if attacks on Russian refineries did not stop, according to an FT-sourced report cited by Carl Bildt.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 11, 2026
• 2 Min Read
Friday warning on intelligence assistance
According to the FT, a Ukrainian negotiating team met with Witkoff and Kushner on Friday and received a clear message: US intelligence assistance would be cut if Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries did not stop. The warning came after Trump had already told President Zelensky to immediately stop attacking the refineries.
Pressure to end the war quickly
The warning sits inside a wider reported pattern. The report describes Ukraine as facing intense diplomatic pressure and coercion from the Trump administration to end the war quickly, with the refinery directive to Zelensky presented as part of that push.
Sanctions relief for Russian oil
Alongside the pressure on Kyiv, President Trump announced an effective oil deal with Russia by temporarily lifting sanctions. The EU's assessment, as reported, is sharply critical:
- •the diesel deal means more revenue and effective backing for Moscow
- •it undermines Europe's long-running sanctions and efforts to isolate Putin
What the last 48 hours mean for Europe
Carl Bildt, Sweden's prime minister from 1991 to 1994 and again from 2006 to 2014, now co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, drew attention to the report. It closes by weighing its own question: how much the last 48 hours have affected the state of the war, and what position Europe is now in. The report names no next step beyond that open question.
The image is illustrative.
