A public disagreement has developed regarding which party restricted Ukraine’s access to Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade satellite internet service. The limitations have disrupted Ukrainian drone operations used for strikes behind frontlines and compromised air defense systems against Russian attacks, according to officials in Kyiv.
President Trump denied involvement in the restrictions, stating last Friday that neither he nor Musk was responsible. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced this position on Wednesday, asserting that the president and administration had not requested changes to the system. However, Rubio’s subsequent comments suggested the private nature of SpaceX meant Trump had no direct control. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had asked Musk to restore the service, with Trump later confirming it was operational. Trump appeared to indicate that Musk held ultimate authority over the service’s operation.
Elon Musk initially attributed the restrictions to the Trump administration, writing on social media that the systems were owned and controlled by the US government and that speed or usage limits were determined by the military and the president. Despite maintaining his distance from responsibility, the Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that Musk had ordered the slowdown, with sources differing on whether this occurred in coordination with Trump. Vice-President JD Vance characterized the situation as fundamentally a policy question rather than an issue with Musk personally.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed both SpaceX and the United States initially, warning the restrictions would result in casualties. He later indicated the limitations were a deliberate message from the American government, technically implemented by SpaceX. Despite Trump’s assertion that full service had resumed, a senior European official told the Associated Press that the system remained operating at reduced capacity, contradicting the president’s claims.
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