Trump denies US role in Ukraine satellite limits as Zelenskyy says restrictions remain

Donald Trump denied on Friday that the United States had imposed limits on Starshield, a satellite service used by Ukraine’s military. His denial follows a Reuters report that an instruction to slow the service came from inside the White House. Ukrainian forces say the disruption affected drone operations, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the previous operating limits have not yet been restored. [5] [3] [2]

“Well, I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump told reporters, referring to SpaceX chief Elon Musk. Reuters also reported his broader statement that any limit on Ukraine’s Starshield access was not imposed by the US. [4] [5]

Reuters cited two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter who said Pentagon leaders had received a message from inside the White House that Starshield for Ukraine needed to be slowed. They did not identify who made the decision or who carried it out. CNN separately reported that two US officials said the order had not come from Trump personally. A denial of a personal order does not settle whether someone else in the administration gave one. [3] [8]

Starshield is SpaceX’s military-focused service, built on Starlink technology. Zelenskyy said on Friday that Starlink had not been switched off, but limits affecting fast-moving drones had been reduced. He said Ukraine had consequently been unable to intercept some Russian Shahed drones or carry out some medium-range strikes. [10] [2]

The disruption was not uniform across Ukraine’s forces. Drone commander Yevhen Karas told the Associated Press that his unit lost drones and saw missions fail during a disruption lasting about a day. By Thursday, he said, its connections were working at the speed it needed. A Ukrainian official also told Axios on Thursday that Starlink and Starshield had been fully restored. Zelenskyy said on Friday that the previous limits had not yet returned, though he expected them to be restored. [10] [9] [2]

Musk has said limits on Starshield speed and use are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. Bloomberg, meanwhile, cited a person familiar with the matter who said SpaceX had limited terminal connections. Neither account identifies who authorised and implemented the change affecting Ukraine. [7]