Ukraine and the U.S. are at odds over Starshield. Here's what to know

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. officials remain at odds over disruptions to a key satellite communications service used by the Ukrainian military.

Zelenskyy told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday he believes the U.S. government is behind his military's loss of normal access to the Starshield and Starlink services, claiming tech firm SpaceX imposed the restrictions in response to a "message from [the] American government."

Warning that the U.S. siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a "historic mistake," the Ukrainian leader claimed that the Starshield system has not been fully restored, despite what U.S. government officials have said publicly.

In a post on X over the weekend, Zelenskyy said the restrictions on the system have hindered Ukraine's ability to intercept weapons launched by Russia, calling the consequences "very painful and unpleasant."

The dispute comes after days of back and forth between Ukraine and the United States over the Starshield system.

What are Starlink and Starshield?

Starlink is a satellite internet network operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX to provide internet service to the U.S. and other counties. Since 2024, the U.S. Defense Department has shared a high-powered military version of the network called Starshield with Ukraine, which has cost the Pentagon billions of dollars.

Ukraine relies on the network in its defenses against Russia's nearly five-year full-scale war.

"We use Starlink to intercept the jet fighters that are hitting our civilians and killing families," said Zelenskyy online. "We also use Starlink for middle strikes on enemy military targets in our temporarily occupied territories. We were unable to do this when there were restrictions. And the third, most important thing is people. Our soldiers, who have been on the front line for weeks and months, are being delivered food and water using appropriate drones with Starlink."

Starshield controversy

Zelenskyy said the disruptions to Starshield came without warning last week. He told NPR in an interview that losing normal access to the critical defense network had left his military's frontlines vulnerable. On X over the weekend, he said the network's speed hasn't been fully restored.

It's unclear why Ukraine has experienced restricted access to Starshield. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on X that the U.S. government is responsible for the system, and that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS."

A bipartisan group of senators is calling on the Defense Department's inspector general to investigate how the system was disrupted.

State Department reaction

Speaking to reporters on Friday, President Trump denied interfering with Starshield. "I don't know if it was anybody because it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon. And from what I understand, it's the same as it's always been," he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also rejected Zelenskyy's claims that the disruptions to the system were deliberate.

"It's just categorically false. No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn't use it," Rubio told reporters on Saturday, adding that Ukraine requested access to the system to carry out strikes deep inside Russia.

"That's under conversation. It's under discussion right now of how they would want to use it," he said.

America's faltering support for Ukraine

The Starshield disruptions have renewed questions over the United States' commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russia's war, with tensions between President Trump and Zelenskyy growing over the past few days.

Earlier this month, Trump moved to ease U.S. sanctions against Russia that had been passed by Congress. After Zelenskyy pushed back on the move, calling it a "weak decision by strong partners," Trump lashed out, criticizing Ukraine for striking Russian refineries, which he said was affecting U.S. diesel prices. "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," Trump said.

The war of words has continued in the past few days, with the Ukrainian president outlining further areas of disagreement. On Sunday's Meet the Press, Zelenskyy also said that U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine concerning Russia ballistic missile attacks was blocked for three days, but has resumed.

Ret. Navy Adm. Mark Montgomery told Here & Now's Scott Tong he believes the Starshield disruptions are a response by the White House to Zelenskyy's efforts to strike Russian oil refineries.

"This is really a signal. It's a signal to stop attacking oil refineries and President Zelenskyy has properly pushed back on that," Montgomery said. He added it's an extremely vulnerable moment for Ukraine, as more Russian drones are able to get through.

The war continues

Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia has launched more than 4,000 strike drones, bombs and missiles against his country over the past week. Russian attacks on Saturday night targeted energy substations leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity, according to Zelenskyy.

Ukraine has responded to Moscow's strikes with its own attacks on Russian oil refineries. Ukrainian forces hit a major refinery southeast of Moscow last Thursday after Zelenskyy had said he was "done" following Trump's calls for an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine.

On Sunday, Ukrainian strikes set an oil export terminal and a depot on fire in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia.