U.S. President Donald Trump ordered that intelligence cooperation with Ukraine be halted as well as military aid, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe says pause is leverage against Ukrainian President Zelenskyy for peace talks but lawmakers say people could die as result.

This comes after the contentious exchange in the White House between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.

The U.S. has paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to co-operate with U.S. President Donald Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.