WASHINGTON/NEW YORK >> The U.S. has paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said today, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cooperate with President Donald Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.

US authorities have stopped intelligence sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed on Wednesday. Following Washington suspending military aid to Kiev in the context of the Russian invasion of February 2022;

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there can be "no pause" in pressure on Russia after another night of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine.

If firing CIA officers would prompt them to "risk treason" by spilling nation's secrets, they need to part with the agency, which is the thinking of Director John Ratcliffe.

Russia launched a large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine overnight, deploying 145 kamikaze drones, two Iskander ballistic missiles, and a cruise missile. The attack comes just two days after the United States halted military intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.