Telegraph: Musk proposed to Trump slowing Starlink in Ukraine; Trump denies US role

The Telegraph reported that Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, proposed to US President Donald Trump that Starlink be slowed in Ukraine. According to Vedomosti, the newspaper cited four sources. TASS reported that, according to the publication, the US president agreed with the proposal. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

Vedomosti writes that Trump's agreement allowed the Pentagon to slow the system. Kommersant specifies that after Trump agreed, the Pentagon slowed Starshield, the military version of the satellite communications system. Kommersant cites several informed sources, and says one senior European official and two Ukrainian sources confirmed the account to the newspaper. Vedomosti adds that the sources said Musk was concerned about the reaction of European users to the situation in Ukraine. [ 3 , 4 ]

On Wednesday 14 October, Musk denied the claims. Vedomosti says he stated he was not responsible for the slowdown, accused the US leader of chaos and said all changes should be agreed with the US armed forces and the president. Kommersant says Musk wrote on X that decisions on using and slowing Starshield are made by the armed forces and the US president. A Telegraph source quoted by Kommersant said Musk wrote that he was innocent and that the US administration was behind it, whereas in fact both were involved. [ 3 , 4 ]

On 16 October Trump said the US was not involved in slowing Starlink in Ukraine. Vedomosti says he noted the system worked that morning and that any failures do not depend on Washington. Kommersant says that, speaking at the White House, Trump said neither he nor Musk bore responsibility. Kommersant adds that a senior US official gave the same version, that US authorities had nothing to do with the restriction. Reuters, citing its sources, reported that the order to limit Starshield for Ukrainian forces came from the White House. [ 3 , 4 ]

Vedomosti also recalls that on 13 October Politico reported that Trump might stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine and press Musk to cut off Starlink for Kyiv if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not stop striking Russian oil refineries. On 16 October Zelensky said the restrictions had not yet been fully lifted and that, although internet speed had not reached its former level, it was gradually recovering. [ 3 ]

Kommersant describes Starshield as allowing operators to stay in contact with drones moving at high speed. It says the speed limit of 160 km/h made it practically impossible for Ukrainian forces to intercept Russian jet drones and missiles, which fly twice as fast. It reports that Zelensky, at the EU summit in Brussels, called the slowdown a very dangerous and unpleasant surprise. [ 4 ]