Trump denies ordering Starshield slowdown as Zelensky says Ukraine service only partially restored

What happened

On Friday, October 16, U.S. President Donald Trump denied ordering restrictions on Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starshield military satellite communications service. "It wasn't me. And I don't think it was Elon," he told reporters. Ukraine had reported that starting Wednesday morning, terminals on the "Starshield military package" suddenly lost connectivity when moving faster than 100 miles per hour (about 161 km/h), disrupting drone operations.

How the front line was affected

Serhii Beskrestnov, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on social media that the limits were imposed without prior notice to Ukraine's defense forces. Sources in Ukraine's defense ministry confirmed to Business Insider that some units lost connection when drones flew as slow as 45 mph, affecting front-line logistics, mid-range strikes and air-defense intercepts. Because Starlink does not work inside Russia, the disruption was limited to Ukrainian-held and Russian-occupied territory.

Conflicting accounts

Accounts of who ordered the restriction conflict. The Telegraph, citing four sources, reported that Elon Musk approached Trump with the idea of slowing Starlink in Ukraine and that Trump agreed, paving the way for the Pentagon to execute it. Reuters, citing two U.S. officials, reported the call came from the White House but did not identify who made it. Musk himself said any limits "were decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS." Axios reported that some U.S. officials pointed to a technical malfunction, while Ukrainian officials suspect it was a warning shot from the Trump administration.

Zelensky's response

Speaking after an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, Zelensky called the slowdown "a very dangerous and unpleasant surprise." He said partners told him the White House had sent a message to SpaceX asking it to restore service, but as of Friday the service "has not returned to the previous speed limits." He added: "We had massive [Russian] attacks today and it's a pity that we also had difficulties about Starlink and about intelligence and a lot of different surprises. We count on the partnership with the US but we just want to be very honest and very clear and be a strong partner."

Background

The dispute comes amid tense U.S.-Ukraine relations: Trump on October 10 urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries and signed a deal to import Russian diesel, which Zelensky publicly opposed. Ukraine says it uses Starshield mainly to intercept Russian drones targeting civilians, not for attacks inside Russia. Kyiv said it is in contact with the U.S., SpaceX and NATO partners and is installing backup communication channels.