The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, clarified that the most critical issue for Kyiv would be losing access to intelligence data through contracts with the United States, although the cessation of free assistance would not have such a significant impact.
In his interview with the media outlet LB.ua, Lieutenant General Budanov responded to questions about the potential cessation of the United States providing intelligence information and its impact on Ukraine. According to him, Ukraine is indeed critically dependent on American intelligence data, particularly in the fields of satellite imagery, radar, and optical reconnaissance.
“If we are cut off from free assistance in the field of optical imagery, we will lose about 15-17%, which is not critical. Without US assistance in radar reconnaissance, the loss would be about 46%, which is more severe but not fatal,” Budanov clarified.
However, he mentioned that the situation would be critical if the US blocked Ukrainian-American contracts for providing intelligence data—this would lead to a significant reduction in the volume of information received. From the US, Ukraine also receives early warning of ballistic threats, which is an essential element of defense, he added.
Let us recall that in July, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported the ability to obtain information about the activities of Russian ballistic launchers even without US aid, although this would complicate the process. In March 2025, intelligence exchange and military aid were halted for a week but were resumed after negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
| Category | Impact |
| Free optical imagery | -15-17% |
| Radar reconnaissance | -46% |
| Contracted intelligence | Critical loss |
| Early threat warning | Critically important |
