According to recent reports, the United States has put a halt to its offensive cyber operations against Russia, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to offer concessions to Moscow in order to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

As reported by The Record, the order to suspend U.S.-launched hacking operations against Russia was given by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. This new directive affects the operations conducted by U.S. Cyber Command, a division of the Department of Defense that deals with hacking and cyberspace operations. However, it does not apply to the espionage operations carried out by the National Security Agency.

The order has been confirmed by multiple sources, including The New York Times and The Washington Post.

The directive was issued prior to the meeting held in the Oval Office on Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as stated in the reports. According to The New York Times, the instruction was part of a broader effort to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin in discussions regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine.

When reached by TechCrunch for comment, U.S. Cyber Command and the Pentagon did not respond. However, a senior defense official informed The Record that they do not “discuss cyber intelligence, plans, or operations.”

Additionally, The Guardian reports that the Trump administration has indicated it no longer views Russian hackers as a significant cybersecurity threat. The administration has allegedly ordered the U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA to cease reporting on Russian threats. The newspaper cites a recent memo that outlines new priorities for CISA, focusing on threats from China and protecting local systems, but does not mention Russia. It is reportedly that CISA employees were verbally informed to pause any work related to Russian cyber threats.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CISA, has denied the report in a statement to TechCrunch.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of Homeland Security, stated that the memo did not originate from the Trump administration and emphasized that “CISA remains committed to addressing all cyber threats to U.S. critical infrastructure, including those from Russia.”

“There has been no change in our posture or priority on this front,” McLaughlin said to TechCrunch.

The reported shift in the Trump administration’s policy towards Russia comes just months after the U.S. intelligence community warned that Russia poses an “enduring cyber threat” to the United States. In its annual threat assessment, the U.S. cautioned that Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, continues to target U.S. government agencies and critical infrastructure, including underwater cables and industrial control systems.

Over the past few years, the U.S. government has taken action against numerous Russian cybercriminals. It has successfully disrupted the infrastructure of Russia-linked ransomware groups, recovered millions in ransom payments paid to Russian hackers, and targeted some of the most notorious Russian hackers with indictments and sanctions.