Ukraine Begging US to Provide More Intel Data on Russian Military Facilities - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kiev has been increasingly requesting more intelligence data about the location of Russian troops and its most important military facilities from the White House amid continuing difficulties on the battlefield, The New York Times reported, citing US and Ukrainian officials.

The Ukrainian authorities have intensified their calls as Ukrainian servicepople have been struggling to maintain ground positions amid Russia's progress in the direction of Kharkov, the newspaper reported.

Although US President Joe Biden's administration did use to provide Kiev with some intelligence data, it had long rejected such requests as the White House wanted no US intelligence reports to be used for attacks deep into Russian territory. However, the most recent request has been accepted by the White House for consideration, the report said.

Ukrainian officials believe that more intelligence data in real time and more data on the most important targets would improve the efficiency of Kiev's cross-border strikes, according to the publication.

Western countries have been providing massive military and financial aid to Kiev since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin has consistently warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying it would lead to further escalation of the conflict. In April 2022, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all NATO countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.