Zelenskyy Claims Partners Are Again Sharing Intelligence on Russian Strikes

Ukrainian military forces are again receiving early warnings from information-sharing partners about incoming Russian missiles after Ukraine claimed a temporary lapse allowed drone strikes to hit energy targets in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Oct. 20.

“We are thankful that early warning is now working,” Zelenskyy said on a visit to Norway. “This is very important for our people, because we can know when Russian ballistic missiles are coming. So this morning began with positive signals from the American side.”

But the United States denied withholding any information from the country.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a multi-day official visit to South and Central Asia, told reporters in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday that the United States had not cut off intelligence or changed the way it has treated Ukraine.

“I saw somebody associated with the Ukrainian government say that people in Ukraine are dying because the U.S. is denying them information,” Rubio said. “That’s outrageous. That’s just simply not true.”

Recent issues with slower internet speeds could be a technical matter, Rubio said.

“We’re looking at it,” he said. “It was not the result of any sort of U.S. directive not to provide advance warning of a strike. And we are providing the same warnings to them now that we always have.”

Zelenskyy said he had a “constructive dialogue” with Rubio by phone Tuesday about Starlink, ballistic missile interceptors, and intelligence.

“We were very concrete and the conversation was positive,” Zelenskyy said. The two plan to speak again in the next couple of days, he added.

Rubio said that during the 45-minute talk with Zelenskyy, he also shared President Donald Trump’s concerns about ending the war.

“This is a terrible, bloody, nasty war that needs to come to an end, and I don’t know anyone in the world who disagrees with what I’m saying,” Rubio said. “And we’re trying to do the best we can to sort of bring both parties to a place where this war can end in a negotiated way, because right now … there’s the real risk here of escalation.”

Smoke rises over buildings following Russian air attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 8, 2026. Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images

However, the country only received an advance warning for the second of two waves of Russian ballistic missile strikes overnight from Oct. 18 to Oct. 19, according to Zelensky’s account of the attacks on social media.

The attacks killed at least four people and injured about 55. The missiles also struck energy and civilian infrastructure across the country.

Ukrainian forces also reported Starshield-enabled drones stopped functioning at a speed of between 130 and 161 kilometers per hour Monday, affecting operations of intermediate-range drones, jet-powered drone interceptors, and frontline logistics.

Zelenskyy has also accused the United States of delaying the delivery of Patriot ballistic missile interceptors to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president met in Norway with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has tried to bring Russia and Ukraine to the table to discuss ending the war.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb (L) and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (C) meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Norway on Oct. 20, 2026. Pavlo Yukin

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb also met with Zelenskyy during his visit.

Gahr Støre said Witkoff planned to fly to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet with Russian leaders, exchange ideas from the Oslo meeting, and share proposals from European and American colleagues.

“Today was a step toward a just and lasting peace,” Stubb said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is willing to listen to new U.S. proposals about Ukraine but doesn’t expect any “miracle” from Washington.

Zelenskyy also met with King Haakon VIII of Norway. He said they spoke about securing the return of Ukrainian children he alleges were abducted by Russia.

“We must bring every Ukrainian child home,” Zelenskyy said in a post. “We are also doing everything we can to help our people in Oleshky, which is under Russian occupation.”