Rubio denies Ukraine intelligence pause, urges Zelensky to focus on ending war

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (centre L) walks with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov at the Congress Center in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 19, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Monday, 19 Oct 2026 2:28 PM MYT

SAMARKAND, Oct 19 — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied today that intelligence sharing with Ukraine had been suspended and urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to “focus” on ending the war with Russia.

“There has been no pause,” Rubio told reporters when asked about Ukraine’s claims that the United States had briefly halted the sharing of intelligence to help counter Russian missile attacks.

Zelensky told US media on Sunday that the move had been “deblocked by the American side” after a three-day suspension.

Rubio, who is in Uzbekistan for talks with Central Asian officials, said President Donald Trump wanted Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to concentrate on ending the Russian invasion, now in its fifth year.

“What he (Zelensky) should be focused on and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war,” Rubio said.

“That’s what we want everybody to be focused on. That’s what we want the Russians to be focused on. That’s what we should be focused on. That’s what the president has made a priority: is trying to bring a war and an end to this war,” the top US diplomat said.

Trump, who says he has reached a deal with Russia to secure fuel exports in exchange for easing sanctions, has renewed his attacks on Zelensky in recent days over the war.

The US leader wrote on his Truth Social platform yesterday that he was making “great progress” in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine, but claimed: “Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.”

“Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States,” Trump said.