The orders were given by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prior to a high profile argument in the Oval Office that erupted Friday between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over future funding to fight Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, according to The New York Times.

Together with the U.S.’s European allies, the Biden administration was widely supportive of Zelensky’s efforts to fend off Russian forces, and made billions of dollars in aid and military assistance available to Kiev, but that has shifted under the Trump administration, leaving the U.S.’s intentions about Ukrainian assistance unclear.

Hegseth has said the cyber offensive stand down is part of an overall risk assessment that will determine what potential threats exist in Russia.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Sunday that European allies would form a “coalition of the willing” to continue to defend Ukraine in its battle against the ongoing Russian incursion.

The scope of the U.S.’s cyber operations stand down is not clear, but officials have said knowing Russia’s goals in Ukraine are critical to understanding Putin’s intentions entering into potential talks with the U.S., especially with regard to Moscow’s cyber espionage efforts.

Hegseth’s orders are thought to be part of a broader effort to re-evaluate the U.S. role in the conflict and its operations against Russia, but are thought to represent a gamble.

The cyber offensive stand down does not apply to U.S. intelligence gathering operations.

Trump has blamed Ukraine for the Russian invasion and called Zelensky a dictator who is “not ready for peace.”