US President Donald Trump has denied ordering restrictions on Starshield, a military-grade satellite internet service linked to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, after a reported slowdown disrupted Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks. According to the BBC, Trump dismissed suggestions that he or Musk was responsible for the restrictions, which…...
US President Donald Trump has denied ordering restrictions on Starshield, a military-grade satellite internet service linked to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, after a reported slowdown disrupted Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks.
According to the BBC, Trump dismissed suggestions that he or Musk was responsible for the restrictions, which reportedly affected the speed of Ukrainian drones and came ahead of deadly Russian strikes on Tuesday.
“It wasn’t me and I don’t think it was [Starlink owner] Elon [Musk],” Trump said, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the service’s speed had yet to be restored.
Musk had suggested that the US government might have been behind the restrictions, while Reuters reported on Thursday that the order originated from within the White House.
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Starlink is a civilian high-speed internet service operated by SpaceX, while Starshield is its military-grade counterpart designed for the Pentagon.
Washington had previously warned that it could suspend intelligence sharing, which is crucial to Ukraine’s defence, if Kyiv did not stop attacking Russian oil refineries.
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have increased in recent days following a controversial diesel deal between Russia and the United States.
Zelensky, angered by the deal, resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries this week, drawing criticism from Trump three days after the US president announced a ceasefire on energy infrastructure.
Kyiv said it would halt the strikes if Moscow did the same, but Russia did not confirm the ceasefire and continued its attacks.
“If I don’t stand up to this… who else will?” Zelensky asked European Union leaders at a summit on Friday.
Trump had also described Zelensky as “more difficult to deal with than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin”.
However, speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Friday, Trump said he maintained a good relationship with the Ukrainian leader.
Asked about Starshield, the US president said he was “not sure” it “ever came down”.
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Musk had earlier explained that Starshield was managed by the US government, suggesting that the Pentagon could have been responsible for the restrictions.
In its report on the alleged order, Reuters cited two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter.
The US government has allowed Ukraine to use Starlink and Starshield in its defence against Russia. Musk cut Moscow’s access to the service in February, giving Kyiv an advantage in the conflict.
On Tuesday night, Starlink reportedly imposed a speed limit of 100mph (160km/h), causing weapons travelling faster than that threshold to lose connectivity to the network.
The restrictions came as Russian attacks hit communications and energy facilities used by Ukraine’s military. The strikes also left about 600,000 people in Ukraine without power.
A bipartisan group of US senators has signed a letter demanding an investigation into the reported network disruptions.
“Restrictions reportedly degraded Ukraine’s ability to conduct defensive operations against Russian drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure,” the letter read.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Friday that European Union countries would not abandon Ukraine.
Speaking at the end of a two-day summit in Brussels attended by Zelensky, Macron said Europe had a responsibility to maintain its support in the face of some people’s “ambiguities”, apparently referring to uncertainty over continued US backing for Kyiv.
Funding for Ukraine and assistance to help the country survive another freezing winter, its fifth since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, dominated discussions at the summit.
Zelensky told the European Council that the war would cost €155bn (£131bn; $174bn) next year, with at least €70bn required from the EU for defence and weapons.
Macron said Europe was working to support Ukraine’s satellite and early-warning systems, adding that Kyiv’s allies would consider its request for further assistance.