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WASHINGTON — President Trump called Elon Musk on Wednesday to ask him to fully reverse any limits to crucial internet services provided by Musk’s SpaceX — following a week of mystery and conflicting reports as to what happened to slow down Ukraine’s US-provided battlefield connections.
Trump’s outreach to Musk was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed to The Post by a White House official.
The president asked Musk to reverse any changes that may have slowed Starshield, a military version of Starlink, impeding Ukraine’s war drones and battlefield communications.
Trump, who has been railing against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, denied ordering a slowdown.
A series of reports have offered conflicting explanations. Reuters cited sources claiming instructions came from the White House. A subsequent Telegraph story said Musk approached Trump with the idea and a prior WSJ report fingered Musk.
Musk said on Oct. 14 that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Administration sources told The Post there was continued uncertainty about what happened to cause the initial slowdown, with one theory being that Ukraine may have experienced slowdowns due to using versions of Starlink, a consumer project, instead of Starshield, though no evidence to prove that speculation has been provided.
Trump has been upset with Zelensky over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, which the president has blamed for rising diesel fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, rather than faulting the war with Iran.
The Starshield system has improved since Trump’s call to Musk, though not yet at full functionality, WSJ reports.