'What UK, France, Germany have today matters': diplomat on intel sharing with Ukraine

He stated this in an interview with Antin Borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program on Espreso TV.

"Regarding the exchange of intelligence between Ukraine’s intelligence services and its partners—including France, Germany, the UK, and the U.S.—the United States operates within the so-called 'Five Eyes' alliance, which includes the UK, Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia. These countries share intelligence among themselves. As you may recall, a week before the events now under discussion, the UK announced that it would decide whether to continue sharing intelligence with the U.S. This was the first time the issue of intelligence sharing within the 'Five Eyes' alliance had been raised—something previously considered unacceptable in intelligence circles."

According to Bezsmertnyi, the intelligence the U.S. possesses is largely a result of data collected from the 'Five Eyes,' with additional input from Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. Ukraine continues its cooperation within this intelligence community.

"As for the United States, its intelligence is only part of what Ukrainian intelligence receives. Moreover, if we look at recent years, the volume of intelligence exchanged between Ukraine and the U.S. has been roughly equal. The quality of information may be debated on a case-by-case basis. What is important today is that intelligence from France and Germany is of very high quality," he emphasized.

In his view, the availability and quality of intelligence today are substantial.

"However, the weakest link remains the analytical processing of this information, countermeasures, and responses—particularly in cyber intelligence, counterintelligence, and frontline situations. This includes monitoring troop relocations not only along the front line but also in the rear, as well as maneuvers related to force deployment. On the one hand, this is the case. On the other hand, I must emphasize once again that over the years, Ukraine has developed a much closer intelligence partnership with the UK, Germany, and especially France than before," the diplomat concluded.

• On March 5, CIA Director John Ratcliffe officially announced a temporary halt in U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. However, Bloomberg, citing a Ukrainian official, reported that Kyiv continues to receive some intelligence from the U.S.
• Shortly after, the Institute for the Study of War stated that the suspension of intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Ukraine would enable Russia to intensify drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
• Meanwhile, the French Ministry of Defense announced its readiness to provide intelligence to Ukraine in place of the U.S.