Media: Kyiv’s drone and missile campaign may gain US intelligence support

The Trump administration is planning to provide Ukraine with additional intelligence to support attacks on Russian oil and gas facilities, three sources familiar with the matter told US media.

This marks the first expansion of U.S. intelligence assistance to Kyiv since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. The Wall Street Journal first reported the administration’s plans.

Over the past month, Trump has shifted his rhetoric toward Moscow, criticizing Russia as a “paper tiger” that has failed to overcome its smaller neighbor. In March, after a public disagreement between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, the U.S. briefly suspended intelligence-sharing with Ukraine for about a week. The pause alarmed Kyiv and European allies, given Ukraine’s reliance on American intelligence for its war operations.

With increasingly sophisticated drones and missile systems, Ukraine has intensified attacks on pipelines, refineries, and other energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. Analysts say these strikes are beginning to cause significant damage to the Russian energy sector. U.S. intelligence support could enhance the effectiveness of these operations, and Ukraine is also seeking approval from the Trump administration to receive longer-range U.S.-made missiles.

Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the administration is considering Ukraine’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles, which can reach targets up to 1,500 miles away. In August, the administration announced the sale of Extended Range Attack Munitions to Ukraine, purchased by NATO member countries on Kyiv’s behalf. Those missiles have a range of 150 to 280 miles.

Russia downplayed the U.S. plans to increase intelligence-sharing. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “The U.S. transmits intelligence to Ukraine on a regular basis online. The supply and use of the entire infrastructure of NATO and the U.S. to collect and transfer intelligence to Ukrainians is obvious.”

At the same time, Peskov warned that any shipments of Tomahawk missiles would represent “a new, serious round of tension that will require an adequate response from the Russian side,” noting that the weapons’ range puts Moscow within reach.

In his annual foreign policy address on October 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin framed the conflict as a confrontation with all NATO countries. “Many countries are fighting against us. All the NATO countries are fighting against us. They’re no longer hiding it,” he said. Putin cautioned the Trump administration against approving the sale of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, warning, “Can Tomahawks harm us? They can. We’ll be shooting them down and improving our air defense systems.”

He added that deploying Tomahawks without direct U.S. military personnel involvement would mark a “completely new, qualitatively new stage of escalation,” including in U.S.-Russia relations. Putin also issued a warning to Europe, where recent drone incursions have heightened security concerns: “We are closely monitoring the growing militarization of Europe. Russia’s response will not be long in coming. The response to threats, to put it mildly, will be very convincing.”

By Tamilla Hasanova