The US State Department’s Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, is to lead the diplomatic response to the leak of classified Pentagon documents. The federal government in the US is currently “engaging with allies and partners at high levels” to assure them of the country’s “commitment to safeguarding intelligence”. So far, there have been no details revealed about which countries are involved or how the conversations have gone. There have also been no indications of whether any restrictions have been put in place to access classified information at the State Department.
Some of the leaked documents related to intelligence related to the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, South Korea’s presidential office said it will hold “necessary discussions with the US” about the document leak. The situation comes at a time when relations between South Korea and the US are already somewhat strained. The South Korean president is scheduled to visit the White House later in May, and the leaked information is likely to be a topic of conversation.
Overall, many diplomats have commented on the situation, with one from a NATO country saying they did not believe Moscow was overly surprised by most of the intel that was revealed in the leaked documents. You will note that Russia has robust intelligence gathering operations. Some have voiced surprise that there was not more intelligence shared between the US and its allies; however, most nations do not share everything with their allies, nor is there an expectation that they do so. This incident will undoubtedly have ramifications for US international relations, given the sensitivity of the leaked documents.
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