SUMMARY :
- Elon Musk has said that any restrictions on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink network was due to the U.S. government and ultimately, U.S. President Donald Trump.
- This comes after Ukraine had accused SpaceX of imposing new restrictions on the Starshield internet service without warning, which disrupted Ukrainian military operations.
- However, it appeared that some restrictions have been partially lifted as of Thursday.
WASHINGTON – SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday that the U.S. government and President Donald Trump was responsible for any curbs on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink network.
Writing on X, Musk said that “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
“Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
Ukraine had accused SpaceX of imposing new restrictions on the Starshield internet service without warning, leading to disruptions to Ukrainian military operations amid fresh Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure.
On Wednesday, Serhii Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on defense technology, said SpaceX had implemented a speed limit on Starlink terminals in motion, without notifying the country’s defense forces.
That had disrupted some missions, and the same restrictions also applied to Starshield, he said on Telegram. Starlink is used to operate Ukraine’s interceptor drones, the “most effective solution” against Moscow’s Shahed drones, Beskrestnov said.
Starshield is a military-grade satellite network, while Starlink is only meant for “civilian or defensive activities,” Musk said.
Some restrictions appear to have been partially lifted, with former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanking Musk early Thursday morning that Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 kilometers an hour had been restored. “Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense,” Fedorov added.
The developments come amid tensions between Kyiv and Washington over an “energy ceasefire,” between Ukraine and Russia announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ukraine has, however, welcomed a deal subject to Moscow honoring its commitment, while Reuters reported that the Kremlin stated that it does not want a ceasefire. On Monday, Zelenskyy accused the Russians of breaching the ceasefire.
Trump had also taken aim at Ukraine ( which was invaded by Russia in 2022) as it continues to strike Russian energy facilities, saying that Kyiv’s attacks were responsible for the increase in diesel prices, instead of the U.S.′ war with Iran.
Washington has threatened to cut intelligence sharing with Kyiv, Reuters reported Wednesday, while Ukrainian officials said a day earlier that they have not received warnings of Russian attacks on the country for two straight days.
National security experts, European allies, and domestic critics argue that the administration’s actions demonstrate a highly dangerous asymmetrical deference. They point out that while Ukraine has consistently attempted to cooperate and align with U.S. requests, the administration has imposed severe operational restrictions on Kyiv—such as threatening to halt intelligence sharing and restricting defense networks—while giving Vladimir Putin significant economic victories. From this viewpoint, granting unilateral concessions like lifting diesel sanctions and calling for Ukrainian leadership changes while Russia continues to launch devastating missile strikes shows a fundamental misunderstanding of Putin’s aggressive ambitions. Critics assert this sends a perilous signal to global autocrats that the U.S. will pressure its democratic allies rather than confront international aggression
CNBC
