Intelligence sharing within NATO has been threatened by Donald Trump's policies. Allies are becoming more cautious about cooperation and trust in each other.
Points of attention
- Donald Trump's policies are jeopardizing intelligence sharing within NATO, leading to growing concerns and caution among allies.
- NATO officials are troubled by the pause in intelligence sharing with Ukraine, highlighting doubts about the safety of sharing sensitive information with the US.
- The shift in US policy towards Russia has raised questions about the future of intelligence cooperation within the alliance, amidst concerns over eroding trust and lack of consensus.
NATO is concerned about Trump's decision
The situation was already complicated by the pro-Russian stance of Hungary and Slovakia, but after the US became closer to Russia, concerns arose about whether it was safe to share intelligence with Washington.
In particular, these doubts intensified after reports that the US had temporarily stopped transferring intelligence to Ukraine in order to force Kyiv to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia.
According to Politico, former US Ambassador to NATO Julie Smith expressed concern about future intelligence sharing within the Alliance.
But former Canadian intelligence officer Daniel Stanton said that NATO now needs more intelligence but will get less. According to him, the consensus on who the common enemy is is disappearing, and therefore, "allies will be less willing to share information.
"After the disastrous meeting between Zelensky (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — ed.) and Trump at the White House on Friday, of course, many questions arose," said one current NATO official.
According to another official, despite the "erosion of trust due to US policy towards Ukraine," NATO still believes that Trump has no serious complaints about the alliance, except for funding issues.
At the same time, the publication writes that joint intelligence can be crucial. In particular, the US declassification of information about Russia's preparations for an invasion of Ukraine in 2022 helped to unite allies and strengthen Kyiv's defenses. But now, due to Trump's "political U-turn," the future of the US role in intelligence cooperation is in question.
The day before, the media reported that the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine for strikes on Russian territory, but was still transferring data for strikes on Russian positions in the occupied territories. Later, it became known that the exchange of intelligence information had completely stopped.
