A Pentagon company stated on Friday that it had “briefly suspended” the sharing of satellite tv for pc imagery with Ukraine in accordance with orders from President Trump, the newest in a collection of steps taken by the administration to stress Kyiv into peace talks with Russia.
The transfer, by the Nationwide Geospatial-Intelligence Company, may shut off a significant window on the battle for Ukraine, which has used satellite tv for pc pictures bought by the US to trace the actions of Russian troops and to evaluate injury to infrastructure on each side of the lengthy entrance line, in line with a Ukrainian protection information company.
The Trump administration has additionally halted navy support and stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine after a contentious White Home assembly final week with the nation’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The tip of American help, analysts stated, may reorder the battlefield and doubtlessly give Russia a decisive benefit.
President Trump has thus far ignored Russia’s function because the aggressor within the battle in Ukraine, however on Friday, he stated that he was “strongly contemplating” imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia till a cease-fire and everlasting peace deal was reached. His message got here after Russian forces unleashed an enormous bombardment aimed toward essential Ukrainian infrastructure in a single day on Thursday and on Friday.
Maxar Applied sciences, a Colorado-based firm that has offered satellite tv for pc pictures to Ukraine by means of a Pentagon program, confirmed the suspension of images sharing in a assertion, emphasizing that it abides by the “contractual commitments” it makes with prospects like the US and different international locations.