Europe could replace US intelligence for Ukraine in just months - FT
US withdrawal now less critical than a year ago (Photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine could become significantly less dependent on US intelligence within just a few months, with Europe potentially helping in this process, reports the Financial Times.
FT notes that since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, US involvement in Ukraine has been a top priority for European leaders - even at the cost of American tariffs on EU goods in the summer of 2025, without corresponding concessions.
Sources say that if the US were to withdraw from Kyiv, it would be a severe blow to Ukraine’s exhausted military and could push Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin closer to achieving his maximalist goal of subjugating Ukraine.
However, the consequences of a US withdrawal are now expected to be far less critical than they seemed a year ago, when the Trump administration briefly suspended intelligence sharing and arms supplies.
According to Ukrainian and European officials, other allies stepped in at that time, using their own resources. In addition, in January 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France now provides Ukraine with two-thirds of its intelligence information.
“Reliance on US intelligence for Ukraine could be largely reduced within months,” said a Western official.
Replacing intelligence
In November 2025, Politico reported that Ukraine’s European allies were exploring ways to address potential intelligence gaps if the US stopped sharing information over disagreements on the proposed peace plan (the initial version was later revised and agreed upon).
James Appathurai, acting head of NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), emphasized the US's unique capabilities but noted that modern commercial technologies, particularly satellite intelligence, could partially fill the gaps.
One example he cited is the Finnish company ICEYE, which provides mobile satellite intelligence to European countries and is already supplying data to Ukraine.
In the summer, the US Department of Defense intelligence reported that advanced Russian ballistic missiles with maneuverable trajectories and decoys reduce the effectiveness of Ukraine’s Patriot air defense systems.
On the intelligence topic, recent social media claims that Ukraine was allegedly sending the US distorted intelligence were false. These reports were found to be a targeted Russian disinformation campaign.
