John Ratcliffe, head of the U.S. intelligence agency, used informal meetings with the president to impress him with data on massive Russian losses in Ukraine, key to continuing intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has reportedly succeeded in convincing U.S. President Donald Trump to continue providing crucial intelligence support to Ukraine, during informal rounds of golf. The Atlantic magazine reported on Monday, August 10, 2026, citing unnamed sources, that Ratcliffe presented Trump with data showing Russian battlefield losses exceeding 40,000 soldiers per month.
This figure left a strong impression on the U.S. president. A Western intelligence official told The Atlantic that Ratcliffe's strategy was simple: "Trump doesn't like losers." As long as the perception prevails that Ukraine is winning, Trump is reportedly less inclined to halt support and withdraw from the conflict.
The United States continues to provide Ukraine with intelligence data, including precise coordinates, free of charge. These are used to target Russian military positions in occupied Ukrainian territory, as well as to strike energy infrastructure within Russia itself, according to U.S. and Ukrainian sources cited by The Atlantic. Ratcliffe is credited with maintaining this channel of support.
The scale of cooperation is also highlighted by a recent report from Politico on August 6, 2026, which stated that intelligence cooperation between Washington and Kyiv has significantly improved. This marks a substantial recovery after being temporarily restricted in March 2025.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, confirmed that data sharing has been restored to previous levels, though he did not provide details. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst also emphasized the importance of this cooperation, noting that it benefits both countries because Ukrainian intelligence services possess a vast amount of information about Russia.
Experts link the improved cooperation to Ukraine's growing ability to conduct strikes deep within Russian territory, as well as the increasingly widespread use of unmanned systems on the battlefield.
