Follow-Up: Rubio Denies the U.S. Ever Paused Intelligence Sharing With Ukraine, Contradicting Zelenskiy's Account
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan — Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Samarkand on Monday morning that U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine was never interrupted, directly contradicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's account that Washington had briefly paused it, Reuters reported on October 19.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Zelenskiy had said the sharing was interrupted and later 'de-blocked,' adding: 'We are very thankful for this. Now it works.' GSM reported yesterday that Zelenskiy confirmed the sharing had resumed and said Ukraine had received no warning of incoming Russian missiles during a roughly three-day interruption.
After touring Registan Square in Samarkand, Rubio said the intelligence had in fact never been interrupted in the first place. 'I don't know where he's getting these things or why he's saying these things to the press. You should go back and ask him. There's been no pause,' he said. He added that what Zelenskiy should be focused on — and what the U.S. wants to be focused on — is bringing an end to the war.
Asked in the same exchange about a possible three-way meeting among President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the war, Rubio said there had been talks of a meeting and he did not know whether it had been finalized, adding that the president has been clear he would like the Russia-Ukraine war to end. 'We see nothing good coming from this war,' he said, citing a very real risk of escalation and of the conflict spreading into a neighboring country.
Ukraine has relied on U.S. intelligence to spot the fast-moving ballistic missiles Russia has fired in waves at its cities. Trump had said earlier this week that Washington was still sharing intelligence, although Ukrainian officials said some Russian strikes occurred without warning, raising questions about whether the intelligence was in fact flowing as normal. Zelenskiy has also said he believes the U.S. government was behind recent limits on Ukraine's ability to use SpaceX's Starshield system; U.S. officials have denied those assertions, and Rep. Mike Turner on Sunday called for a congressional investigation into the Starlink throttling episode. (GSM, via Reuters)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 国务卿卢比奥（左）2026年4月7日在国务院与乌兹别克斯坦总统办公厅主任 Saida Mirziyoyeva（中）会面资料图，右为美国特使 Sergio Gor。美国国务院官方照片，Freddie Everett 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons 取得。Secretary Marco Rubio (left) meeting Uzbekistan Head of Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva (center) at the Department of State on April 7, 2026, with U.S. Special Envoy Sergio Gor (right). Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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