Conflicting accounts persist over Ukraine’s Starshield restrictions

Conflicting accounts remain over Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade satellite communications service provided through Elon Musk’s SpaceX, after President Donald Trump said the system was operating normally again. Trump said Thursday that Musk had restored access after restrictions disrupted Ukrainian military communications. When asked about reports that he had contacted Musk, Trump declined to clarify who made the request, saying the outcome was that Musk had “put it back”, according to BBC News.

Ukraine has used the network for battlefield communications, early-warning systems and drone operations. The BBC reported that restrictions had affected Kyiv’s ability to use drones both against Russian forces and to defend against attacks. Ukrainian commanders, cited by ABC News, reported lost drones and disrupted missions.

The public accounts of the system’s status differ. Trump said service was back at full speed, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier Thursday that the speed had not yet returned to 400 kilometres per hour, or about 250 miles per hour. He said Ukraine was still working on restoration and awaiting information from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

A senior European official familiar with the situation told ABC News that nothing had changed operationally and that a speed cap of about 100 miles per hour, or 160 kilometres per hour, remained. The official spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly. The episode has also produced competing explanations of responsibility.

Trump has repeatedly said he did not order the restrictions. Rubio said neither the president nor anyone in the administration requested changes, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the government had not withdrawn anything and referred to terms of service that had to be followed. Vice-President JD Vance offered a different emphasis, saying Musk ran a private company and that it was understandable if he did not want to become involved in a war between two states without direction from the US government.

Musk previously said that limits on speed or usage were decided by the US military and ultimately the president. Musk had also indicated that because Ukraine used Starshield, which was designed for the Pentagon, questions should be directed to the Defence Department. The White House has denied ordering the restrictions, while the ABC report said Ukraine had not received a clear official explanation of who imposed them or why.

The disagreement has prompted political scrutiny in Washington. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal announced an inquiry into how the systems were slowed for Ukraine’s defence operations. ABC News said the lack of accountability had alarmed Ukraine’s supporters and Russia hawks on Capitol Hill.

The restrictions emerged as Trump was pressing Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Trump has argued contributed to higher prices. The BBC reported that Ukraine first reported an interruption to US intelligence sharing on October 14. It said a Wall Street Journal report that Trump called Musk to lift the restrictions had not been independently confirmed.