On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and defence chief Lloyd Austin conversed with their Ukrainian counterparts in an effort to reassure allies after a significant quantity of highly confidential documents were leaked online.
During a news conference, Blinken conveyed that “we have been in contact with our allies and partners at senior levels in recent days, including to provide reassurance about our own commitment to protecting intelligence.” Additionally, he confirmed that he had talked with Dmytro Kuleba, his Ukrainian equivalent, and “reiterated our unwavering support for Ukraine and its pursuit to defend its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.”
According to reports, the data breach encompasses classified information about Ukraine’s resistance against encroaching Russian forces, as well as private assessments of US partners. Some of the most confidential information reportedly relates to Ukraine’s military capabilities and inadequacies.
Earlier, Kuleba stated that Blinken had “strongly refuted any efforts to call into question Ukraine’s ability to triumph on the battlefield.”
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the revelation of these documents.
During a press conference held at the State Department, Austin, who was accompanied by Blinken, revealed that he had spoken to Oleksiy Reznikov, his Ukrainian counterpart. Austin commented that Reznikov and the Ukrainian leadership remained dedicated to their current objectives, adding that they possessed the necessary capabilities to succeed.
Austin stated that the Pentagon was aware of the leaked documents, which were dated between February 28 and March 1. However, it remained uncertain if any other documents had been made public prior to that. Austin pledged to continue investigating the matter until the source and extent of the leak were uncovered.
Meanwhile, CIA Director William Burns, speaking at Rice University in Texas, expressed his disappointment with the leaks. Burns confirmed that intense investigations were ongoing, but did not provide any further details about the investigation’s progress, which was being led by the Pentagon and the Justice Department.
Several photos of documents, some of which suggest the US conducted espionage on allies and partners like Israel and South Korea, are being shared on various social media platforms such as Twitter, Telegram, and Discord.
Numerous documents have been taken down from the original social media sites, and the US is allegedly working to remove the remaining ones.
Austin had a conversation with South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup regarding the leaked documents, which supposedly disclosed US surveillance on Seoul and South Korea’s reluctance to directly supply munitions to Ukraine.
Deputy National Security Director Kim Tae-hyo informed journalists that the two defence leaders concurred that a “significant number” of the documents were falsified.
The potential consequences of the leak are substantial, as it may jeopardize US intelligence sources and provide valuable information to the country’s adversaries.
According to Holger Becker, a member of the Social Democrats (SPD) in Germany and a member of the parliament’s digital affairs committee, it would be “naive” to believe that the US and its allies do not engage in “mutual intelligence gathering.” Becker told DW that the leaked documents were more of an embarrassment for Washington and would not harm existing relationships.
Becker stated that it was unclear where the leak came from and that while some documents were authentic, others were “clearly altered,” and some could not be confirmed as fake or real. The SPD representative remarked that the documents did not reveal anything surprising about Ukraine’s military condition and that everyone had been aware of the dire ammunition situation.
Becker believes that the leak will not increase pressure on Germany and other allies of Kyiv. Instead, he believes the most critical issue is how to protect deliveries and enhance logistics.
