Some US allies are considering expanding their intelligence to share with Washington in response to the Trump administration’s reconciliatory approach to Russia, five sources with first-hand knowledge of the debate told NBC News.
Allies are weighing the moves due to concerns over the protection of foreign assets where their identity could be carelessly revealed, sources, including two foreigners, said.
All intelligence agencies treat their commitment to foreign agents as sacred, pledging to keep agents safe and protect their identity. Anything that it puts its obligations at risk would violate its trust, former officials said, which has led some spy services and thwarted information sharing with Washington.
Israel, Saudi Arabia and allies, including members of the so-called five-eye spiral alliance, are considering the possibility that they could modify current protocols to share intelligence to take into account the warm relations between the Trump administration and Russia, sources said.
“These discussions are already happening,” said a source who knows the discussion firsthand.
One Western official said the Trump administration has shaken how much their longtime allies have seen the US and whether it can rely on them.
“There’s been a serious debate on information we can share with the US. Five eyes have always been working on the premise that we don’t spy on each other,” Western officials said. “I don’t think I can trust you anymore.”
Officials added: “It’s where we are and I’m not seeing a way to change.”
However, sources say no decisions or actions have been made.
The review is part of a broader investigation into the spectrum of relations with Washington among many US allies, including diplomacy, trade and military cooperation, and part of the issue of intelligence, sources said.
Historical meaning
The extent of the US policy change to Russia remains unknown, but the allies are weighing the potential implications of what could be historical changes, Western officials said.
A spokesman for the White House National Security Council was asked if it could limit what allies share with the United States, and President Donald Trump said he has a “clear eye” about the American enemy.
“The US has the exact same intelligence abilities as why intelligence sharing initiatives such as the Five Eyes exist,” spokesman Brian Hughes said in an email.
“President Trump has a clear look at all the threats our enemies pose to our national security, and he will work with allies and partners who understand the dangerous world that has been inherited after the disastrous Biden year,” he added. “With Biden’s watch, we were war in Ukraine, surrender in Afghanistan, and on October 7th we were genocide of innocents.”
Administration officials and some Republican lawmakers have defended Trump’s handling of Russia as a tactic to take Moscow to the negotiation table and win a peace deal that will end a volatile war in Europe. However, distrust of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a veteran KGB officer, remains high among US allies.
Publicly, longtime US allies have downplayed the issue. The UK, the most important US intelligence reporting partner, said it has no plans to reduce intelligence reporting cooperation with the US.
“The United States is the UK’s closest ally and we will continue to work closely with issues of defense, intelligence and security,” a UK government spokesman said in an email. “If not, none of the suggestions are at all true.”
In a statement, Canada’s Security Intelligence Services said it has strong ties with many US institutions “which have been resilient for many years.”
“Canada deeply appreciates its partnership with the US and believes it is the strategic interest of both countries to continue strong national security cooperation.”
“The story is unfounded when it comes to Israel. Israel has not considered such measures,” said Omer Dostri, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Officials from New Zealand, Australia and Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment.
Some officials from the allied countries had been discussing the issue of intelligence that is sensitive to anonymity, but thought that Trump’s policies regarding Russia would disrupt information sharing that date back decades. They pointed out that intelligence can be shared in ways that protect sources and methods.
However, some former US intelligence agents say they are concerned the Trump administration could choose to scale back the Intelligence Email targeting Russia as the US may no longer consider Russia the best threat.
For example, the administration has shown that efforts to counter drug cartels from Mexico and other countries in the region could place higher priorities. Already, the Department of Defense is deploying more resources to the southern border, including a team of analysts. The CIA has also launched a drone surveillance flight through Mexico as part of its efforts.
This week’s decision to suspend intelligence news support for Ukraine, along with military aid, has strengthened concerns from allies. Intelligence reporting cooperation with Kiev, which has developed since Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, has benefited both Washington and Kiev, former officials say Ukraine provides valuable insights into Russia.
Considering whether to dial back intelligence sharing, the five-eyed allies of the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as other US partners, should consider risks to their own national security if their cooperation with Washington is reduced.
Cybersecurity concerns
However, recent moves by the Trump administration on cybersecurity have also encouraged concerns about the administration’s involvement with Moscow.
NBC News reported last month that Defense Secretary Pete Hegses ordered US cyber command to halt offensive cyber operations and intelligence operations against Russia. It is unclear how long the order will last.
And in a speech to the UN Working Group on Cybersecurity last month, State Department official Liesyl Franz didn’t mention Russia as the best cyber threat, citing only China and Iran.
Over the years, including during Trump’s first term, Republican and Democrat administrations have described Russia as one of the most sophisticated and dangerous threats to American cybersecurity.
As Trump and his representatives reflect some of the points of Russian talk about the Ukrainian War and show that they want to expand our ties with Moscow, the former Intelligence Director-General says the regime may share some sensitive information with Moscow.
Some former US intelligence agents said they and yet their colleagues in the government were deeply concerned about the potential implications of a change in the regime to Russia, where Moscow may no longer be treated as an enemy.
“People are very concerned,” the former Intelligence Agency said.
A terrible alliance
The Five Eyes Alliance is undoubtedly the most terrifying Spy Alliance in the world. Intelligence reporting cooperation between its members dates back to the 1940s and is deeply embedded, with authorities believing that they helped counter the Cold War of recent decades and the Soviets during the stumps.
The sharing of satellite imagery and eavesdropping intelligence between alliance members is broad and highly integrated and “nearly automatic,” the former intelligence official said.
Rewinding the technical aspects of the Alliance collaboration is complicated and difficult, former officials said. According to several former intelligence agencies, the likelihood scenario could withhold intelligence from human sources and analysis that could cause friction with the White House.
D-Colo, a member of the House Intelligence and Armed Services Committee. Rep. Jason Crowe said he is deeply interested in the Trump administration’s “rapid pivot on the Kremlin,” and media reports that US cyber command has pulled back cyber operations against Russia.
“The stand-down or pullback of our operations can be devastating as Russia is the enemy and, as always, seeking opportunities to sow discrepancies and cause trouble for the Americans and the government,” Crow said in an interview.
The administration’s actions on cybersecurity have encouraged speculation that Washington and Moscow may have pulled back from aggressive digital operations, reduced tensions and led to informal understandings to pave the way for more diplomacy.
The Trump administration and Russia may have agreed to “cyberdetente,” said Emily Harding, a former Intelligence reporting official. However, Harding and other former Intelligence officials warned that past attempts by the US to build limited cooperation with Russia have proven the Kremlin an unreliable partner.
“That sounds good in theory,” said Harding, director of intelligence, national security and technology programs at the Think Tank Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “I think the next question is whether you think Russia will actually stick to it.”
Cybercriminal hub
The main hitch to Cyber Detante with Moscow is Russia’s status as a hub for cybercriminals targeting Americans. Russia has not handed over citizens and has barely refused to work with US law enforcement when identifying hackers attacking American businesses, hospitals and government networks.
Ransomware is particularly concerning. Hackers often use Russian-speaking crime gangs to deploy malicious software to lock computer networks and request payment.
A study conducted by cybersecurity firm Emsisoft shows that known attacks on the US public sector related to Russia have steadily increased each year until 2024.
In a report released in October, the coalition of cybersecurity insurance companies found that ransomware attacks around the world cost an average of $353,000 last year. In some cases, ransomware gangs suggest connections to Russian intelligence.
Philip Reiner, CEO of the Institute of Security Technology, a San Francisco think tank focused on cybersecurity policy, told NBC News that the new agreement with Russia would rarely face Russia’s legal liability and would have to convince the Kremlin to curb cybercriminals targeting Americans.
“The need for the Trump administration to normalize cyber relations must take into account the economic terrorism that Russia engages through ransomware gangs,” Reiner said. “It has to be a factor in the overall negotiation.”
The parties’ former US presidents have attempted to “reset” ties with Russia and share information about a common threat with Moscow. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush called on spy agencies to pursue the possibility of cooperation with Russia on the threat of terrorism. But the effort was “not fast anywhere,” a former intelligence reporter said.
According to former officials, Russians were not interested in sharing sensitive information about terrorist groups.
At the OP-ED held at the Washington Post in 2020, former CIA officer John Schiffer and other former colleagues said attempts to increase cooperation with Moscow’s spy services have been repeatedly and unsuccessful.
“In the CIA, we often joked, but to Putin, win-win means I beat you twice,” they wrote. “Goodwill from the US side has proven that it is wasted on improving relationships over and over.”
