US President Donald Trump said Thursday, Oct. 22, that Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s military-grade Starshield satellite communications service following restrictions that disrupted Ukrainian drone operations, but declined to confirm whether he personally called the billionaire to demand the changes be reversed.
“I don’t want to comment on it, you know, whether I called or whether somebody else called – doesn’t make any difference,” Trump told reporters when asked about a Wall Street Journal report that he had intervened.
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“I guess the bottom line, he put it back,” Trump said, referring to Musk, whose SpaceX company operates the satellite network.
Trump’s comments followed a Wall Street Journal investigation reporting that the president contacted Musk on Wednesday and asked him to remove restrictions that had sharply reduced Ukraine’s ability to operate certain military drones.
According to the newspaper, citing US officials, Trump expressed frustration that the service remained capped at approximately 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), a restriction that interfered with communications aboard fast-moving Ukrainian drones.
US and Ukrainian officials cited by the Journal said network performance improved after the reported conversation. However, some Ukrainian officials cautioned that the service had not returned to full functionality.
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The latest developments leave a central question unresolved: whether Ukraine has regained the satellite communications capabilities it needs to conduct strikes against Russian military targets and intercept incoming drones.
Restrictions disrupted Ukrainian strike and interceptor drones
The controversy began on Oct. 14, when Ukrainian military units reported unexpected limitations on Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network.
Unlike ordinary Starlink terminals, Starshield supports specialized military communications and can be used aboard high-speed unmanned aircraft.
Ukraine relies on the system for battlefield coordination, strikes against Russian military positions in occupied territory, reconnaissance and interceptor drones designed to destroy incoming Russian attack drones.
The sudden speed restrictions caused terminals to lose connectivity aboard moving platforms, disrupting missions and limiting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian aerial attacks.
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