Trump says Starlink access restored, but Ukraine reports more interruptions
· Yahoo NewsPresident Donald Trump said Elon Musk has lifted restrictions on Ukraine's access to Starshield, the military equivalent of Starlink, amid confusion over who previously ordered access to the network be curtailed.
Trump declined to comment on reports that he called the SpaceX chief executive to ask Ukraine's access to the satellite network be fully reinstated, but described his relationship with Musk as "a very good one." The "bottom line" was that Musk had "put it back," he said in comments to reporters on Thursday.
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However, Ukrainian soldiers said Friday they were still experiencing Starshield disruptions, with no indication that any restrictions had been lifted.
On Friday, Starshield was still operating "with constant interruptions," although at a higher speed than on Thursday, Ukrainian commander Andriy "Klima" Klymenko, commander of the 414th Unmanned Systems Brigade, told The Washington Post.
"Right now we don't notice that restrictions on Starlink have been lifted," Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's defense ministry, wrote in a statement.
Ukraine's military access to Starshield, a secure satellite network designed for government use, was unexpectedly throttled last week, impeding Ukraine's midrange strike campaign on Russian-occupied territory. There is confusion over who ordered access to the network be curtailed, with both Musk and Trump suggesting it was the other side.
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The curtailed service followed Trump's announcement of a diesel deal with Russia and demands that Ukraine halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, as he sought to address high energy prices ahead of the midterm elections.
The Trump administration has faced repeated questions over why access to Starshield was curtailed and who ordered it. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Musk ordered the slowdown and Trump called him to ask it be lifted.
The White House and Musk did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment.
Trump has recently increased pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make a deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine, called for his ouster and waived punishing sanctions against Moscow.
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Earlier this week, Russia agreed to start restart trilateral talks with Ukrainian representatives, following a meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks were planned for the first half of November, in Abu Dhabi.
On Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), the senior Democrat on the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations, said he had opened an inquiry into the restrictions to Starshield services.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Blumenthal said it raises questions about who has the technical and legal authority to make such changes and whether the U.S. military had sufficient alternatives if SpaceX-provided services became unavailable.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) said Thursday that "innocent Ukrainians have bore the murderous brunt," of limited access to the technology.
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"We've spent that week trying to determine the party responsible, but they have yet to own the decision, if in fact one was made," he said. "I have full confidence in the powers of the United States Government and SpaceX to solve this, if there are indeed no objections."
Vice President JD Vance said Thursday it was "completely understandable" that Musk did not want to get involved in the war as he runs a private company.
"I don't think this is about Elon. I think it's fundamentally, what is America's policy in Ukraine and Russia going to be," Vance said.
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