A potential threat to Five Eyespublished at 19:49 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March

19:49 GMT 5 March

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

As recently as during the Munich Security Conference, less than three weeks ago, British officials were insisting that it was "business as usual" when it came to the UK’s incredibly close working partnership with Washington on intelligence-sharing.

At a working level, Whitehall officials have always maintained, the relationship between the UK’s three intelligence agencies – SIS (MI6), MI5 and GCHQ – and their US counterparts is immune to the vicissitudes of which way the political wind is blowing.

But there is nothing "business as usual" about cutting off your embattled ally from vital intel in the middle of a war. Intelligence from UK and other allied nations’ assets can still flow to Kyiv and the indications are that if and when President Trump gets the mineral deal he wants from Ukraine, plus some concessions towards an eventual peace deal, then America's intel taps could well be turned back on.

Yet this has been a rude shock, not just for Ukraine, not just for America’s close partner Britain, but also for other members of the so-called Five Eyes partnership.

This is the mechanism whereby much intelligence is shared between five English-speaking nations: the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The US, with its roughly US$100bn intelligence budget, provides the lion’s share. The UK, while specialising in human intelligence-gathering, has a budget roughly 20 times smaller than that.

Image source, EBU

Macron has just finished addressing the French people. Here's what we heard:

• The French president said "we are now in a new era", describing how the US has changed its position on the war in Ukraine and has threatened Europe with increased trade tariffs
• European military chiefs will meet in Paris next week, he announced
• France, along with Ukraine and others, have prepared a durable peace plan he said, adding his nation must be ready if the US is no longer by its side
• Macron also made the case for increased defence spending

We can now bring you some more comments from Macron's address.

Macron says France, along with Ukraine and other European countries have prepared a "solid and durable plan for peace" and that once peace is agreed European peacekeepers can be deployed to secure it.

He adds he went to the United States two weeks ago to defend this.

"I want to believe the US will stay at our side, but we must be ready if that is not the case," Macron says.

Peace in Ukraine must be brought on quickly, he says, before adding that whether it is the case or not, European countries must be ready to face the Russian threat.

Macron also reacts to the new tariffs introduced by Donald Trump.

As a reminder: Tariffs of 25% were placed on US imports from Canada and Mexico yesterday, as well as 20% on Chinese goods.

The French president says that Europe must prepare in case the US president imposes similar measures on its bloc.

Macron says "there will be a reaction from our part", if this does happen, and that he will do everything to convince Trump that this would be a bad decision.

The French president then rounds off his televised speech by referencing principles that drive French society, before La Marseillaise plays him out.

The path to peace cannot go by "abandoning Ukraine", Macron says.

He adds that Russia didn't respect a previous ceasefire arrangement that had been negotiated, and therefore "we can no longer believe the words" of the country's leader.

Macron says he is working with allies in the UK, Germany and several other countries in Europe.

He talks about security guarantees for Ukraine after any peace deal is agreed, including the "deployment of European forces" to the country.

And he says he plans to hold a meeting of European army chiefs in Paris next week.

Macron moves onto address the war in Ukraine specifically.

He says that it is not only the Ukrainian people who are fighting bravely, but France's security is also threatened.

He says that if one country can invade another, then nobody can be sure of what will happen - history has shown us this.

The threat of Russia is there, and it is touching us, Macron adds.

The French president goes on to list ways this threat is being carried out by Putin, citing attacks on hospitals as well as claiming that the country is manipulating opinions on social media.

Who can believe that Russia will stop with Ukraine, he asks, after suggesting that the country is focusing on arming itself.

We're now hearing from French President Emmanuel Macron, via live translation.

He says the US has changed its position on the Ukrainian war, while at the same time wanting to impose trade tariffs on Europe.

He says security has become more uncertain, adding "we are now in a new era".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

I'm currently at the White House press briefing, where Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt refuses to be drawn into reporter's questions regarding a pause in intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

While Leavitt said that - as far as military assistance - the US has simply paused and is "reconsidering" funding, she referred questions about intelligence sharing to the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Ukraine was overshadowed at this briefing by other matters, including tariffs and direct talks between the US and Hamas over the fate of hostages in Gaza.

By the standards of the White House, it was somewhat short.

The BBC has reached out to both the NSC and CIA for comment on the intelligence sharing pause.

Image source, PA Media

Ahead of an EU summit in Brussels tomorrow, we're expecting to hear from French President Emmanuel Macron in a short while.

In a social media post this morning, the French leader told his citizens: "At this time of great uncertainty, when the world is facing its greatest challenges, I will speak to you tonight at 8pm." (19:00 GMT).

We'll keep an ear across what Macron says and you'll be able to watch it by pressing watch live at the top of this page, so stick with us.

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine’s former president Petro Poroshenko has told the BBC that he “remains an optimist” about the deterioration in relations between his country’s leader and Donald Trump.

Poroshenko led Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, and visited the US president in the White House during Trump’s first term in 2017, where he secured sanctions relating to Russia's actions in Crimea.

“That was exactly the same President Trump,” he tells the BBC News channel. “It’s absolutely possible to renew our transatlantic unity.”

And, Poroshenko suggests that disagreements over whether the US provides security guarantees as part of a minerals deal are unnecessary too.

“We do not depend on American troops, we depend on American military assistance,” he says, adding that support from European partners is also crucial.

US intelligence sharing is "more important" for Ukraine than the military aid cut-off, the Economist’s defence editor Shashank Joshi tells the BBC's PM programme.

That's because "they could fight for months without munition, however they will feel this immediately", he says.

"It’s at times been absolutely fundamental for Ukraine", Joshi says, explaining that "on day one of this conflict" Western intelligence supplied to Ukraine allowed them to anticipate and defend against a Russian assault on an airport outside of Kyiv.

Since then, US intelligence has been used for alerts on incoming ballistic missiles, as well as for information to effectively use long-range strike systems.

But Joshi says Ukraine also has some indigenous intelligence sources as well as commercial sources, adding: "I also don’t want to suggest that it’s cataclysmal and they can no longer see anything at all."

He says for now, Ukraine still has access to Starlink - Elon Musk's satellite internet company - but they anticipate it could be cut off soon and are actively working on replacements.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, EPA

Intelligence sharing paused: The US has suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine on top of a pause to military support. The move was confirmed by Trump's national security adviser and the head of the CIA, and could have serious consequences on the battlefield.

But freeze might come to an end: Mike Waltz, the US national security adviser, says President Trump would consider restoring military aid to Ukraine if peace talks are arranged. Speaking to Fox News, Waltz said "the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause" if they can "nail down these negotiations" and put confidence-building measures on the table.

Progress in US-Ukraine relations?: On Tuesday evening, President Trump said in his address to Congress that he had received an "important letter" from Zelensky, in which the Ukrainian leader suggested he was ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible. "I appreciate that he sent this letter," Trump told lawmakers, adding there were now "strong signals" Russia is "ready for peace".

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Away from the US, President Zelensky also says Ukraine is hoping to "resume movement" in talks about EU membership: "We are expecting support from our partners."

The Ukrainian president adds that earlier today he spoke to the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia, as well as the German chancellor.

"We are getting ready for the EU summit taking place in Brussels tomorrow," he says.

"Everyone can see how fast diplomatic events are unfolding."

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says progress has been achieved in talks with the US on a new meeting between the two countries’ representatives.

He says the head of the Ukrainian presidential staff, Andriy Yermak, had spoken to US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz earlier today.

"There’s been positive movement. We are expecting first results next week," Zelensky says in his evening video address posted on social media.

Zelensky does not specify whether the new meeting with the US would involve himself and Donald Trump.

US intelligence plays two key roles in Ukraine war effortpublished at 17:33 Greenwich Mean Time 5 March

17:33 GMT 5 March

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, EPA

The precise significance of US intelligence to Ukraine's war effort has, for obvious reasons, never been spelled out in detail.

But most analysts agree that it performs two important functions: helping Ukraine to plan offensive operations against Russian forces and giving Kyiv vital advance warning of threats posed by incoming Russian drones and missiles.

Satellite information and signals intercepts give Ukrainian forces on the front line a sense of where Russian forces are, their movements and likely intentions.

Without US intelligence, Ukraine will not be able to make such effective use of long-range Western weaponry, like the US Himars rocket system or the Stormshadow missiles supplied by Britain and France.

But the steady flow of real-time information provided by Washington has also given Ukraine's military, critical national infrastructure and civilian population valuable advance information on incoming threats.

Ukraine's air raid sirens and mobile phone alerts are all informed, to a greater or lesser extent, by the early warning data provided by US satellites, which can detect aircraft and missile launches deep inside Russian territory.

It's clear that the US is using the withholding of military assistance and intelligence as another, blunt, diplomatic lever.

The US National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, said military assistance to Ukraine could resume if Ukraine agrees to participate in US-led diplomatic efforts.

"I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move towards these negotiations," he told Fox News, "then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause."

The director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, told Fox business the pause "will go away". But it’s clear what the White House wants from President Zelensky in return.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

I've been speaking to a few current and former officials in the US national security apparatus about the US decision to pause intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

One contact of mine – a former CIA officer and National Security Council staffer – tells the BBC he is concerned that the "betrayal of an ally" would having a chilling effect on other intelligence partnerships that the US has around the world.

He describes the Trump administration's strategy as "responding with emotions" rather than a long-term strategy, which he fears plays into the hands of Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Traditionally, the former official adds, intelligence-sharing agreements are strictly "non-political" and designed to survive shifts in domestic politics.

A dramatic sudden shift in intelligence sharing – which he describes as being the result of "bruised egos" – is largely unprecedented.

He adds that he believes "it's going to be a long four-years" if the Trump administration frays alliances overseas.

Image source, Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief aide Andriy Yermak says he has had a phone conversation with US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

"We discussed the next steps towards a just and lasting peace," Yermak says in a social media post.

Yermak doesn't specify exactly what this means, but says that the pair "scheduled a meeting for our teams in the near future".

And, Zelensky's aide adds that he and Waltz "exchanged views on security issues" as well as "the framework of bilateral relations" between the US and Ukraine.

Image source, Reuters

We can now bring you some more comments from CIA director John Ratcliffe who a short while ago confirmed President Trump ordered a pause in intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

"What President Trump said is, he asked for a pause," Ratcliffe told Fox News, adding that "President Trump is the peace president."

He added: "[There's] never been in a war under his leadership. He wants to end the wars that exist."

Ratcliffe said Trump has a "real question" about whether Ukrainian leader Zelensky was committed to the peace process.

"I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away," Ratcliffe adds.

"And I think we'll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have to push back on the aggression that's there."

Let's have a look at Odesa now, where residents in the south-western Ukrainian city are searching destroyed houses and removing debris after renewed Russian drone strikes over the last few days.

Earlier, Ukraine said some districts in Odesa are without power and water after a strike overnight hit critical infrastructure.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Mick Mulroy, a former official at the US Department of Defense, tells the BBC he believes that cutting off intelligence to Ukraine "will have an immediate impact" on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself fully.

"There is no way to replace the capabilities that the US intelligence can provide from our European allies," says Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense and retired CIA paramilitary officer.

"This will likely inspire Russia to push harder on their efforts to take more terrain from Ukraine and away from the negotiating table."

With regards to broader military assistance, Mulroy says he believes that any shortfalls would have a "significant impact" starting around May of this year. "That is when they will start running out of ammunition."

Mulroy believes "the best way to ensure that Russia agrees is to present a unified front with Ukraine and Europe".

"Russia only responds to strength," he says. "Not compliments or concessions."