Zelensky says US restored missile-warning intelligence after a three-day gap; no US confirmation

As of 1:50 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the United States has resumed sharing intelligence about incoming Russian ballistic missiles after a pause that left Ukraine without warnings for three days of attacks. U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed that the sharing was halted or restored.

"It was blocked for some period of time. And then it was deblocked by the American side. We are very thankful for this. Now it works," Zelensky told NBC's "Meet the Press".

"Only (the) United States has this unique intelligence to tell our side when Russia uses ballistic missiles. And we didn't get it during ballistic attacks during three days," he said, according to AFP.

No US confirmation

The White House did not immediately respond to NBC's request for comment. Asked on the same program why the intelligence sharing had been interrupted, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "Again, I don't know anything about that," and added that Zelensky "should be very careful about making statements like this that aren't true". As of this article's time stamp, neither the White House nor the State Department had publicly commented on Zelensky's account, and GROKsiNEWS.com found no U.S. statement confirming a pause.

European and Ukrainian officials had previously told NBC News they believed a move to limit intelligence sharing was likely aimed at pressuring Kyiv to make concessions in stalled peace talks, NBC reported.

Call with Trump's envoys

Zelensky said separately Sunday that he had spoken with President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. "Peace comes only through strength and cooperation built on trust," he wrote on X at 10:55 a.m. ET. He said they discussed the results of a meeting between their teams in Florida and were "preparing the next steps in diplomacy". Axios first reported the call, citing a source with knowledge of it.

As of this article's time stamp, GROKsiNEWS.com found no readout of the call from the White House, Witkoff or Kushner.

Starlink and a "historic mistake"

Zelensky also said Ukraine still faces a speed restriction on Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink service, and that he believed "it was a message from American government to limit the speed. And technically, SpaceX did it".

Bessent, in a separate interview on the same program, rejected that claim. "President (Donald) Trump and Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio have categorically said that no one in the Trump administration did that. And I think it is very reckless for President Zelensky to make such a charge," he said. The Trump administration has denied it was behind any slowdown, AFP reported.

Zelensky warned that the United States formally siding with Russia would be "a historic mistake and a big tragedy," but said he still sees Trump as an ally. "We want to trust him," he said.

His comments followed Trump's executive order on Friday waiving sanctions on Russia that Congress passed last month.

Why it matters

U.S. intelligence on incoming ballistic missiles helps Ukraine warn civilians and target its air defenses; Zelensky's account, if accurate, suggests Washington has used that support as leverage, something the administration has not acknowledged.