CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday confirmed that President Donald Trump "paused" weapons shipments and intelligence to Ukraine.
Ratcliffe said he looked forward to Trump lifting the pause and working with Ukraine to end its war with Russia.
The president's move followed a fiery exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office on Friday.
"He [Trump] asked for a pause," Ratcliffe said during appearance on Fox Business. "President Trump is the peace president. [There's] never been a war under his leadership. He wants to end the wars that exist.
"So, in this case, as everyone saw play out, President Trump had a real question as to whether President Zelenskyy was committed to the peace process. And he said, 'Let's pause. I want to give you a chance to think about that.' And you saw the response. President Zelenskyy put out a statement saying, I'm ready for peace, and I want Donald Trump's leadership to bring about that peace."
Ratcliffe added "the pause that allowed that [Zelenskyy's letter] to happen will go away, and I think we'll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, as we have, to push back on the aggression … to put the world in a better place."
In his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Trump said he had received a letter from Zelenskyy in which Ukraine's president expressed willingness to come to the negotiating table over the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump also announced the "monster" behind the Abbey Gate bombing at the Kabul, Afghanistan, airport in 2021 had been arrested and was on his way to the U.S. to face "the swift sword of American justice."
The bombing killed 13 American service members and 170 Afghan citizens.
Ratcliffe said Mohammad Sharifullah, a senior Islamic State commander who's also known as "Jafar," arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Tuesday night.
"I can tell you this terrorist … is in U.S. custody. I was there, at Dulles airport, last night to receive him along with FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard," Ratcliffe said.
"As you've seen, as the country as seen, the president had a to-do list. We are working at warp speed. One of the first things that he told me as CIA director was to make this a priority on counterterrorism, to find the people responsible [for the Abbey Gate bombing]."
Reuters contributed this story.