Rubio says Musk, not White House, decided to throttle Ukraine's Starlink speeds
In short
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 21 October that the decision to slow Ukraine's Starlink satellite service was made by SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk, not the White House. This came a day after the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials and informed sources, that Musk ordered the limit last week after discussing it with President Donald Trump. Chinese outlets relayed both accounts, which differ on how far the White House was involved.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 21 October that the decision to slow Ukraine's use of the Starlink satellite communications system was made by SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and not by the White House. CLS, Yicai and Jiemian, citing CCTV, reported that he spoke in an interview in Mumbai. Rubio said President Donald Trump had nothing to do with it, the White House did not know in advance, and neither Trump nor anyone at government level had asked for any change to the system. [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]
The statement followed a Wall Street Journal report of 20 October, which Chinese outlets relayed. It cited US officials and informed sources as saying Musk ordered the limit last week on Starshield, the military version of Starlink used by Ukraine. According to China News Service, the Journal said the move caused panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration, and left some attack and interceptor drones almost unusable. The Hill, quoted by Xinhua, said Ukrainian drones, aircraft and helicopters were affected. [ 2 , 4 , 9 ]
Two informed sources told the Journal that Musk and Trump spoke by phone shortly after the limit became public, while Trump was campaigning. One of them said the two had also discussed the matter before the limit was decided. Some US officials said Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump gave no specific order of retaliation against Ukraine, but another informed source said Musk had talked to Trump and several senior officials before ordering the limit. cnBeta added that SpaceX representatives phoned the White House to agree on a common account, while China News Service said SpaceX then issued a statement that it had coordinated with the Trump administration. CLS said SpaceX had not responded publicly. [ 1 , 2 , 9 ]
Sergei Sternenko (斯捷尔年科), a former adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, disclosed on 14 October that Ukrainian military satellite communications had been suddenly slowed. cnBeta, citing CCTV and Ukrainian sources, put the start in the early hours of that day, with mobile Starlink terminals restricted. Musk replied on X that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government and that limits on speed or use are decided by the US military and ultimately by the president. Xinhua also reported that he wrote that Starlink is limited to civil or defensive activity and may not be used for offensive military operations. [ 1 , 4 ]
Xinhua reported that Trump on 16 October denied that he or Musk was linked to the limit. Rubio on 17 October denied that the US had ordered it and said Ukraine had never formally had Starshield access. cnBeta reported that Trump told media on 19 October he did not know who was responsible but wanted to find out. Zelensky said on 19 October that use of both systems remained restricted at many points on the front. On 20 October he said he had spoken with Rubio about interceptor missiles for ballistic missiles, missile-attack warnings and restoring the speed of the systems. [ 1 , 4 , 7 ]
Reports linked the dispute to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. China News Service said Musk and Trump were both angry about strikes on diesel refineries, which Trump blamed for high energy prices. cnBeta quoted Trump on 10 October as saying Zelensky should not hit refineries, and Musk replying on X that Zelensky had gone too far. Xinhua said Musk supported Trump's view that it was time for Ukraine to have a new president. [ 1 , 4 , 9 ]
Why it matters
Ukraine's forces depend heavily on the satellite service for air defence and front-line coordination, according to Xinhua and Jiemian. The differing US accounts of who ordered the limit leave the question of responsibility open, at a time when Xinhua describes US-Ukraine relations as strained again.
Key facts
- The Wall Street Journal reported on 20 October, citing US officials and informed sources, that Musk ordered a speed limit last week on the Starshield satellite communications system used by Ukraine's military. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Rubio said on 21 October in Mumbai that Musk made the decision, not the White House, that Trump had nothing to do with it, and that the White House did not know in advance. [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Rubio quoted as saying that neither Trump nor anyone at government level ever asked for any change to the system. [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Musk and Trump discussed the matter before the limit and spoke by phone shortly after it became public, while Trump was campaigning. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 9 ]
- Sergei Sternenko (斯捷尔年科), a former adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, disclosed on 14 October that Ukrainian military satellite communications had been suddenly slowed that day. [ 4 ]
- Zelensky said on 19 October that Starlink and Starshield use remained restricted at many points on the front, hindering logistics, command and combat operations. [ 4 ]
- Reports said Musk and Trump were both angry at Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel refineries, and Trump blamed them for high energy prices. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 9 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Rubio said on 17 October that Ukraine had never had access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink, and denied that the US had ordered a speed limit on Ukraine's Starlink use. [ 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- Musk wrote on X that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government and that any limits on speed or use are decided by the US military and ultimately by the US president. [ 1 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- Zelensky said on 19 October that Starlink and Starshield use by Ukrainian troops was still restricted at many points on the front. [ 4 ]
Still unclear
- Who ordered the speed limit and with what prior coordination. The Wall Street Journal's sources say Musk discussed it with Trump beforehand and with senior officials, while Rubio says the White House did not know in advance and nobody in government asked for any change. Some US officials said Musk acted unilaterally.
- Whether SpaceX coordinated with the Trump administration before Musk's order. One outlet says SpaceX representatives called the White House to agree a common account and then issued a statement that coordination had taken place, while another says SpaceX had not publicly responded.
- Which system was limited. Outlets variously refer to Starlink, military-grade Starlink and Starshield. One outlet says Starlink and Starshield share some satellite technology and infrastructure, so limiting Starlink affects Starshield.
- When the limit began. cnBeta, citing CCTV and Ukrainian sources, says mobile Starlink terminals were restricted from the early hours of 14 October; the Wall Street Journal report as relayed says Musk ordered it last week.
- Trump's own position. Xinhua says Trump denied on 16 October that he or Musk was linked to the limit, while cnBeta says on 19 October he told media he did not know who was responsible but wanted to find out.
- Rubio said on 21 October that the decision to slow Ukraine's Starlink use was made by Musk and not by the White House. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- cnBeta publishes the Wall Street Journal's account of Musk's contacts with Trump on the limit. [ 1 ]
- CLS reports that the Wall Street Journal says Musk ordered the limit and that SpaceX had not responded publicly. [ 2 ]
- Jiemian reports that Musk is said to have ordered limits on Ukrainian military use of Starshield. [ 3 ]
- Xinhua reports the Wall Street Journal and The Hill accounts and the earlier statements by Musk, Trump, Rubio and Zelensky. [ 4 ]
- Xinhua headlines Rubio's statement that the limit was Musk's doing and not the White House's. [ 5 ]
- CLS reports Rubio's statement made in Mumbai. [ 6 ]
- China News Service reports that the order caught Ukraine off guard and caused confusion in the Trump administration. [ 9 ]