Trump denies ordering limits on Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield access
In short
President Donald Trump told reporters on 16 October that neither he nor Elon Musk was behind restrictions on Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield services. A Reuters report had said the White House ordered the slowdown, and Ukrainian officials remain skeptical of Trump's denial.
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President Donald Trump denied on 16 October that he or Elon Musk ordered limits on Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield services. "I didn't do that. No, we didn't do that at all. In fact, I don't even think it was slowed down from what I understood. Because I just checked this morning," he told reporters, according to the New York Post and The Hill. The New York Post said he spoke as he left the White House for a campaign trip to Georgia. [ 6 , 10 ]
Trump also said he heard about the matter from the media and that the system was probably functioning. Asked about Musk, he said, "I don't know if there's anybody because it wasn't me, and it wasn't Elon, as I understand," The Hill reported. Axios reported that he was responding to a question about a Reuters report and that, from his briefing, the system was fully working with no restrictions. [ 9 , 10 ]
Reuters reported on Thursday evening that the White House ordered the slowdown of the military version of Starlink, citing two US officials and a Western official, the New York Post said. A congressional source confirmed the report to the Post, while an administration official said the White House gave no such instructions and attributed the move to "Pentagon freelancing". A senior US official told Bloomberg on 15 October that Trump did not order any limitation, and a White House official told NewsNation that "no such request" was made by Trump. Bloomberg reported that Zelenskyy said Trump restricted the access. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 10 ]
CNBC reported that the restrictions cut off connectivity for drones or other vehicles traveling above 160 kilometers per hour, and The Hill's source put the threshold at 100 mph. Axios reported that the restrictions hampered Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian attack drones for 24 hours. Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy, wrote on Telegram that Ukraine's armed forces received no warning, which "led to the failure of a number of missions". Axios said Ukrainian officials remain highly skeptical of Trump's claims. [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]
Musk wrote on X that "Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS" and that Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX, according to The Hill. CNBC reported that The Telegraph said Musk approached Trump with the idea of slowing down Starlink in Ukraine. Poland's deputy prime minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, criticized Musk on X. CNBC said Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and that SpaceX shares were down about 11% that week. [ 8 , 10 ]
The New York Post described a mounting dispute between Trump and Zelensky after Trump waived sanctions on Russian diesel and Zelensky called the action "weak". It said Trump then declared an "energy ceasefire" covering oil infrastructure, and that Zelensky resumed attacks on Russian refineries on Thursday. [ 6 ]
Why it matters
The dispute adds to a public clash between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the New York Post and The Hill. Outlets reported that the restrictions affected Ukraine's drones and its ability to intercept Russian drones, and Ukrainian officials said they received no warning.
Key facts
- Trump told reporters on 16 October: "I didn't do that. No, we didn't do that at all," and said he did not think the service had been slowed down. [ 6 , 10 ]
- Reuters reported that the White House ordered the slowdown of the military version of SpaceX's Starlink, citing two US officials and a Western official. [ 6 ]
- A senior US official said on 15 October that Trump did not order any limitation on Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starshield technology. [ 1 , 2 ]
- CNBC reported that the restrictions cut off connectivity for drones or other vehicles traveling above 160 kilometers per hour; The Hill cited a source who put the threshold at 100 mph. [ 8 , 10 ]
- Axios reported that the restrictions hampered the Ukrainian military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones for 24 hours. [ 9 ]
- Musk wrote on X that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the president. [ 10 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Trump said publicly on 16 October that he did not order limits on Ukraine's access to Starlink or Starshield, and that he did not think Musk did either. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 9 , 10 ]
- A senior US official said Trump did not order any limitation on Ukraine's access to Starshield, and a White House official told NewsNation that "no such request" was made by Trump. [ 1 , 2 , 10 ]
Still unclear
- Who ordered the restrictions, if anyone Reuters, citing officials, said the White House ordered them. An administration official told the New York Post the White House gave no such instructions and blamed "Pentagon freelancing". The Telegraph reported that Musk approached Trump with the idea. Trump denied involvement.
- Whether the service was slowed at all, and whether it is working now Trump said he did not think it was slowed and that it is probably functioning. Axios said he was briefed that it is fully working without restrictions. Ukrainian officials and several outlets reported restrictions earlier this week.
- Musk's and SpaceX's position CNBC reported that Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Bloomberg published that a senior US official said Trump did not order limits on Ukraine's Starshield access (15 October). [ 1 ]
- Bloomberg reported that Zelenskyy said Trump restricted the access, while a senior US official said he did not (15 October). [ 2 ]
- Bloomberg reported that Trump said he did not order the limits and did not think Musk did (16 October). [ 3 ]
- Reuters published that Trump said neither he nor Musk was responsible for Ukraine's Starlink access (16 October). [ 4 ]
- The New York Post reported Trump's remarks to reporters as he left the White House for a campaign trip to Georgia (16 October). [ 6 ]
- Axios reported Trump's statement that "it wasn't us" and the skepticism of Ukrainian officials (16 October). [ 9 ]