NATO allies consider cutting intelligence ties with US

NATO countries are considering halting intelligence sharing with the United States. The Donald Trump administration’s positive stance toward Russia and the cut-off of military aid to Ukraine have led to “trust issues” within NATO.

According to Politico, NATO member states and security officials say that the actions of Trump and his administration could worsen the situation.

With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, trust in Hungary had plummeted because of its stance on Russia, followed by Slovakia.

But now, according to five sources who spoke to Politico, the US shift toward Russia has prompted other NATO countries to consider how risky it is to share intelligence with Washington.

Trump’s policies serve Vladimir Putin’s goal of undermining NATO’s combat capability.

“We don’t agree on who the common enemy is, so people are going to be more hesitant to share information,” said Daniel Stanton, a former employee of CSIS, Canada’s foreign intelligence service.

The situation has been further complicated by Washington’s decision to halt intelligence sharing with Ukraine and ban allies from sharing American intelligence with Kyiv.

“There’s a lot of whispering in the corridors of NATO about the future of intelligence sharing within the alliance,” Julie Smith, who served as US ambassador to NATO under Joe Biden, told Politico.

Smith said she has heard concerns from some allies about whether Washington will continue to provide intelligence to the alliance.

But other members are also wary of sharing their own information with the United States, especially given some of the appointments in the new administration. For example, the new Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has in the past been notable for her statements against the Kyiv government and has met with ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Some officials told Politico that the new administration’s actions have not yet affected intelligence sharing but expressed concern that this could happen soon.

According to an unnamed former NATO official, such information sharing is largely bilateral and does not take place in all-member meetings.

“Of course, the situation has deteriorated because of the approach to Ukraine, but we still think that Trump has no real objections to NATO other than at the level of spending. That’s at least something,” the official said.