US to provide Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure - WSJ
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
The United States will provide Ukraine with intelligence to support missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to US officials, President Donald Trump recently authorized the intelligence community and the Pentagon to assist Kyiv in conducting strikes. American authorities have also urged NATO allies to provide similar support.
Officials noted that this marks the first time the Trump administration will help Ukraine carry out long-range missile strikes on energy facilities deep inside Russian territory.
The Wall Street Journal added that while the US has long supported Kyiv’s drone and missile operations, the new intelligence-sharing arrangement will enable Ukraine to more effectively target oil refineries, pipelines, power plants, and other infrastructure sites.
These strikes are expected to hit facilities located far from Ukraine’s borders, to deprive the Kremlin of oil and revenue essential for sustaining its war effort.
Other administration officials said Washington is also considering the transfer of Tomahawk and Barracuda missiles, as well as other US land- and air-launched systems with ranges of around 800 kilometers. However, no final decision has yet been made on which weapons will be supplied.
WSJ reported that the combination of real-time intelligence and more powerful weaponry could have a far greater impact than Ukraine’s previous attacks on Russian territory, causing severe damage to Russia’s energy sector.
One US official said that American agencies are awaiting written authorization from the White House before releasing the necessary intelligence.
Strikes on Russia and missile transfers
A week earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that US President Donald Trump had endorsed Ukraine’s right to strike back in response to Russian attacks, including retaliatory strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy also warned that if Russia threatens Kyiv with blackouts, it should understand that Moscow could face the same. He stressed that Ukraine will not remain weak and will respond to Russian assaults on its energy grid.
Earlier this week, Trump's special representative, Keith Kellogg, stated that the US president had authorized long-range strikes on Russian territory.
In an interview with Fox News, Kellogg said the decision to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine had not yet been finalized, and that the final approval rests with Trump. US Vice President J.D. Vance echoed that negotiations on the issue are ongoing.
The Kremlin later reacted, calling such US statements "very serious."
