One of Those Times.

The symmetry of curved surfaces.

“This is part of my morning ‘must read’ list. I learn something every day from News Items — it does an amazing job curating what’s interesting and important from a wide variety of publications and sources around the world.” — Rebecca Patterson, former chief investment strategist, Bridgewater Associates.

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1. The US has cut off intelligence sharing with Kyiv in a move that could seriously hamper the Ukrainian military’s ability to target Russian forces. The step follows the decision on Monday by the Trump administration to suspend military aid deliveries to Ukraine and comes after a dramatic breakdown in relations between the US president and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. US intelligence co-operation has been essential for Ukraine’s ability to identify and strike Russian military targets. Four officials familiar with the decision confirmed that Washington had frozen intelligence channels with Kyiv. (Source: ft.com)

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2. Eurointelligence:

Yesterday, the US delivered its most significant cut to its support for Ukraine so far. It stopped intelligence-sharing with the Ukrainians, one of the most important forms of help it had been providing. It is also one of the most difficult to replace. The aim, we think, is obvious: to tell the Ukrainians that they can see how they fare without US help, and then come back and decide what deal they want to accept.

The intelligence support that the US has given Ukraine is quite comprehensive. It ranges from help for individual units, all the way up to strategic intelligence. Via both satellites and signals, it fulfills a number of different important purposes for Ukraine. One is knowledge of where targets within Russian-controlled territory are and what they are doing. This helps Ukraine make effective use of western-supplied longer-range weaponry, like Himars rockets or Storm Shadow missiles. Another is advance warning of incoming Russian air attacks on military and civilian infrastructure.

We do not fully know what is being cut, or what the conditions are for this being reversed. Various sources have said that everything is going, whilst others have said that the support has only partly been withdrawn. Mike Waltz, the Donald Trump’s national security advisor, described the process as a review. John Ratcliffe, the CIA’s director, implied that the intelligence-sharing could resume at some point. Neither was very specific about what Ukraine would have to do to bring intelligence-sharing back.

If this is more comprehensive, and goes on for some time, it will have a very serious impact on Ukraine. Some satellite-based intelligence might be replaceable by European allies, although the European systems in question are not necessarily set up for military purposes. American signals intelligence, provided by interception Russian communications, would be extremely difficult to replace. (Source: eurointelligence.com)

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3. President Emmanuel Macron has said he will hold talks with allies over how France’s nuclear weapons could protect Europe, as the continent steps up efforts to guard against an emboldened Russia. In a television address on Wednesday, Macron responded to a call by Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz about whether France and the UK would be willing to do some form of “nuclear sharing” if the US became a less reliable partner. “Our nuclear deterrence protects us. It is complete, sovereign and entirely French,” Macron said. “However, in response to the historic call of the future German chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our European continental allies through our deterrence.” The issue is likely to come up at an emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday that will be focused on new ways of financing European defense spending as US President Donald Trump presses Ukraine to reach a peace deal with Russia. (Source: ft.com)