Ukraine received no advance warning from its Western partners ahead of an overnight Russian missile strike, Vladimir Zelensky claimed on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian Air Force first raised the issue earlier in the day, saying it detected incoming missiles only during their final approach, without receiving advance intelligence from the West.
Footage circulating online appeared to show at least six ballistic missiles striking Kiev, with air raid sirens sounding only after the impacts.
Zelensky echoed the complaint, saying Ukraine had received no warning from its “partners” about the impending attack. He did not single out any country but stressed that Western intelligence on planned Russian strikes remains “one of the most critical issues” for Kiev.
The presumed lack of the early warning sparked speculation that the US might have stopped sharing intelligence with Kiev. The two countries have been engaged in a public spat over the past few days. Zelensky condemned the US decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel as a “weak decision by strong partners,” while US President Donald Trump suggested it is time for Ukraine to get a “new president” instead of Zelensky, whose tenure has long ended but no elections have been held under the pretext of the conflict with Russia.
Trump has appeared to reject the allegations that Washington stopped sharing intelligence with Kiev, stating the US has been working with both Russia and Ukraine “on getting the war to end.”
“We are helping them, and we are sharing intel,” Trump told reporters.
Kiev usually receives early missile warnings through the Battlespace Command and Control Center, a system used by the US military and the NATO bloc. Media reports have suggested the presumed lack of warning overnight was an isolated technical incident rather than a political decision. A source familiar with the matter told Politico that the US had told Ukraine that there was “no warning because of bad weather conditions.” Kiev, however, was reportedly unsatisfied with the explanation and that a “growing number of people” are concerned that there were other reasons behind the lack of warning.