Last week, after the White House refused to provide direct intelligence to Ukrainians “with the intention of killing Russian generals,” Biden spoke separately with Secretary of Defense Austin, CIA Director Burns and National Intelligence Director Avril Haynes. He told them that it was not useful to make the information public about what the United States shared with Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion, an official said, stressing that the leak should stop.
U.S. officials have been outspoken about sharing intelligence with Ukrainians, but have also said there is a line in what is shared with them. In addition to sending weapons to the battlefield, officers also provided intelligence “to help Ukrainians defend their country,” a National Security Council spokesman said last week.
Administration officials have previously insisted that there are clear restrictions on the intelligence it shares with Ukraine, including a ban on providing targeted intelligence to senior Russian leaders by name. These restrictions are part of the White House’s efforts to avoid crossing a line that Moscow may see as too escalating.
But intelligence-sharing efforts have proved useful. So far, the information has contributed to successful strikes against senior Russian leaders and the flagship of the Russian navy, Moscow, sources familiar with intelligence sharing told CNN.
So far, Russia has not taken any known direct action against the United States or NATO in response to continued military and intelligence support.
U.S. officials have been left to speculate as to why Moscow is refraining, especially when it comes to cyber attacks, which the United States warned before the war that Russia could use as retaliation for U.S. aid. Russia has also failed to strike at Kyiv during visits by a number of senior US leaders, from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
In addition, the country has not attempted to strike at arms shipments passing through Poland, a NATO country. It is only recently that Russia has begun attacking railways in Ukraine that are believed to be carrying Western weapons of battle.
In addition to sharing intelligence, the United States has also provided billions of aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Last week, Biden announced a $ 150 million package that includes 25,000 155-millimeter artillery shells, anti-artillery radars, jamming and field equipment and spare parts, according to a White House official.
Biden proposed a new $ 33 billion aid package for Ukraine, which he sent to Congress last month. The United States has indicated that it intends to provide long-term support to Ukraine, and the proposed package last week was more than twice the $ 13.6 billion military and humanitarian aid infusion approved by Congress last month.
This story was updated in further detail on Monday.
CNN’s Katie Bo Lilis, Jeremy Herb, Zachary Cohen, Devan Cole, Kate Sullivan and Nicki Carvajal contributed to this report.
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