Trump Says Musk Has Lifted Starlink Restrictions On Ukraine While Kyiv Reports Ongoing Issues
by Alex Raufoglu · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · JoinWASHINGTON -- Amid growing controversy over restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink satellite Internet services, which its military relies heavily on, US President Donald Trump claimed that the company's head, Elon Musk, had lifted limitations on Kyiv's access.
"He put it back," Trump told reporters on October 22, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed to CNN that his country was still experiencing issues using the service.
There was no immediate response from Musk to Trump's latest statement.
Owned by Musk's SpaceX, Starlink is the commercial version of Starshield, which is a military product and licensed to the US military and other partners. Its effectiveness relies on technology and satellite infrastructure related to Starlink. However, "Starlink" is often used as an umbrella term for both systems.
Musk's last comment on the issue was on October 14, the first day that Ukraine reported disruptions to satellite services, when he said that "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government."
"Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," he wrote on X at the time.
A Ukrainian official familiar with the matter told RFE/RL that while some of the country's military units reported higher speeds, the increase had not been applied everywhere.
The official added that speeds remained insufficient to intercept Russia's jet-powered drones, which Russia has launched against Ukraine with increasing frequency in recent months, causing major damage to the country's logistics, energy, and civilian infrastructure.
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Earlier, Ukraine's charge d'affaires in the United States, Denys Sienik, had told RFE/RL that Kyiv had received no response from either the Pentagon or Musk's company SpaceX on the matter. "Speed restrictions have not been lifted," Sienik said.
He confirmed to RFE/RL on October 23 that the situation "unfortunately hasn't changed for better."
"There are still speed restrictions for Starshield in place," he stated, adding that "every day matters for Ukraine because for us every Ukrainian life matters."
"Ukrainians are waiting for positive news every day. Unfortunately, today the situation is the same."
Zelenskyy said he hoped to discuss the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the coming days. Rubio had earlier denied that Trump or anyone in the US government had requested changes to the systems.
The dispute over Starlink and its military-oriented counterpart, Starshield, has raised questions about who authorized the restrictions, whether the Trump administration knew about them in advance, and how the changes affected Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian attacks.
A congressional delegation that recently visited Kyiv said the restrictions had impaired Ukrainian air defenses and put American personnel at risk.
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Russian jet-powered Shahed drones, which can travel at 280 miles per hour or faster, have posed a particular challenge. Starshield speed limits were reportedly initially set at about 60 miles per hour and later at 100 miles per hour, meaning the system could lose connectivity with faster-moving objects.
Disruptions to the Starshield satellite system, the military-grade version of the Starlink service operated by SpaceX on which Kyiv heavily relies to defend against Russian air strikes, has left Ukraine particularly vulnerable.
Russia launched three waves of fresh ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv on October 22, according to Zelenskyy, who said the strikes hit residential buildings, energy facilities, railway station and metro infrastructure, shopping malls, businesses, and a monastery.
The Ukrainian president added that Russia had launched 21 missiles at Ukraine, leaving two people confirmed dead and 34 others injured, including five children, in Kyiv and across the country's regions.
Russia's latest attacks came just hours after US special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks on moving the peace process forward with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he described as a "humanitarian."
Speaking in Mumbai on October 21, Rubio denied Trump or other US officials had requested changes or had advance knowledge of the decision.
Neither "the president of the United States nor anyone in our system ever requested that any changes to that system be made," Rubio said.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers, Democrats and some Republicans, have called for investigations into the slowdown.
Senator Adam Schiff of California said the conflicting accounts warranted a full Senate investigation and called for Musk to testify under oath. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona also urged Musk to explain the decision voluntarily.
Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said Musk should not have the power to influence the outcome of a war "with the flip of a switch," while Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts warned of the risks of a private executive effectively dictating US foreign policy.
Representative Ami Bera, a California Democrat, said the slowdown had "crippled Ukrainian defenses and endangered innocent lives," calling on Congress to establish who authorized it and hold those responsible accountable. Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania has also called for an investigation.
Separately, a bipartisan group of nearly two dozen House members has urged Trump to press Musk to allow Ukraine to use Starlink to target Russian missile-launch sites inside Russia.
"If Ukraine cannot reliably intercept Russian 'arrows,' it must be able to shoot the 'archer,'" the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent on October 21, arguing that Ukraine needs the ability to destroy the launchers used to attack its cities.
The initiative was led by Republican Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina and included seven Republicans and 16 Democrats. The lawmakers said granting Ukraine greater access could save lives and give Putin greater incentives to negotiate.
Trump Says Musk Has Lifted Starlink Restrictions On Ukraine While Kyiv Reports Ongoing Issues
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