“A huge bet” for The New York Times, or “a radical break”, we read in The Guardian. The US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a break in all cyberials in the country against Russia, including offensive actions, several media across the Atlantic reported. This interruption is part of a broader process of reassessment of American maneuvers vis-à-vis Moscow, and its duration is not clearly defined, according to the New York Times. Solicited by AFP, the Pentagon did not comment, a usual behavior in terms of clandestine operations.
If it is common for civilian leaders to order breaks in military operations during negotiations to avoid derailing these, This decision mainly reflects the warming of relations between Washington and Moscow. “It aims to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in negotiations on Ukraine and a new relationship with the United States,” said The New York Times. Note that these instructions were published before President Trump’s public explosion in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Friday, February 28.
After being one of kyiv’s main supporters against Russian assault, Washington, under the leadership of Donald Trump, seems to want to force Ukraine to accept a cease-fire without necessarily being concerned about security guarantees, which kyiv refuses and does Moscow business. This reversal, decided without consultation with Europeans, plunges them into disarray as they have delegated the burden of their safety and protection to Washington for decades.
“Putting the cyber operations to avoid exploding negotiations could be a cautious tactical measure. But if we raise the accelerator and they take advantage of it, we could endanger national security,” warns with the Washington Post James A. Lewis, ex-diplomat of the Clinton administration.
The Cisa must turn the eyes of Moscow
THE New York Times Also reported that the Trump administration had prayed to federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) federal agents to put an end to monitoring cybermalveh activities for Russian actors. The agency, restored in 2018 during Donald Trump’s first mandate, aims to protect the sovereign infrastructure of the United States, while being responsible for finding suitable protections. Following this turnaround, the resources will be redeployed on other threats, particularly from China. “All the work linked to Russia is canceled,” says in the British daily The Guardian An anonymous source within the CISA.
As a reminder, Russia is very regularly accused of conducting a so -called hybrid war against Western countries, in particular to undermine their support for Ukraine, which involves physical -physical operations and actions in immaterial, cyber or informational fields. While the Kremlin attacks against hospitals and various American infrastructure intensified in 2024, according to intelligence managers, Washington claims to have other more pressing concerns. “There is no greater priority for the secretary (Pete) Hegseth than the safety of the fighter in all operations, including in the cybernetic field,” tried, however, to reassure a pentagon official.
A “critical strategic error”
On the political aspect, the voices of the opposition were quick to be heard. According to Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the Chief of the Minority, Donald Trump seems to give his Moscow counterpart “a free pass while Russia continues to launch cyberoperations and attacks”. Chuck Schumer described the decision of the administration of “critical strategic error”, quotes the New York Times.
“We should spend less time worrying about Putin, and more time worrying about the gangs of rapist migrants, big drug caps, murderers and immigrants suffering from psychiatric disorders who enter our country – so as not to finish like Europe!”, Reacted Donald Trump on the night of Sunday to Monday on Monday. The American security advisor Mike Waltz, questioned on CNN on Sunday on this rapprochement with Russia, denied this cyber operational break. “It was not discussed,” he said. “There will be all kinds of levers, from the stick carrot, to get an end to this war.”