Ukraine confirms Starlink restrictions persist despite Trump’s claim that limits were lifted

Trump said Thursday that Elon Musk had “put it back,” implying that Starlink service for Ukraine’s military had been restored. Ukrainian officials confirmed the restrictions remain in place.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the speed of the system had not been restored and that the restrictions “are still there.” Denys Sienik, Ukraine’s deputy ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that as of Friday nothing had changed. “Unfortunately, as of today, nothing has changed. We continue to wait,” Sienik wrote. Ukrainian defence ministry sources said there is “currently no confirmation that these restrictions have been lifted.”

Trump’s shifting account

On Thursday, Trump told reporters, “The bottom line, he put it back.” The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had spoken to Musk by phone about lifting the restrictions on Ukraine’s Starshield terminals. By Friday, Trump’s story had shifted. He said he had not spoken to Musk and told reporters outside the White House, “I’ve heard it was fixed, but if it’s not, I’ll speak to him.”

What the throttling does on the battlefield

The speed restrictions have direct combat consequences. Drones traveling above 100mph (161km/h) lost their Starshield connection due to the throttling, disrupting missions and leaving interceptor drones unable to counter Russian attacks at high speeds. A Ukrainian soldier reported connectivity cutting out at 80km/h while travelling in a car. Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, said Ukraine is losing drones and that the ability to do mid-strike to hit Russian logistics is now limited. The throttling made it easier for Russia to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leading to a reported two deaths and at least 17 injuries.

Ukraine uses both civilian Starlink and the more secure Starshield for military operations, relying on networks of approximately 10,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. The Ukrainian military reported receiving no advance warning about the speed restriction. One soldier said they reverted to “proven algorithms” used before Starlink when the system started playing up, though forces still depend on the network for its speed in transferring data and orders.

Who controls the switch

Responsibility for the throttling remains disputed. Musk previously said SpaceX does not control Starshield and that it is controlled by the US military, while the White House denied deliberately placing limits on the network in Ukraine. Reports then emerged that Musk suggested the slowdown tactic to Trump, who accepted it, followed by a further report that Musk unilaterally ordered the restrictions. Serhii Beskrestnov, Zelenskyy’s defense tech advisor, said isolated cases where Starlink operates beyond limits are likely due to SpaceX’s algorithms or specific usage conditions, not an actual removal of restrictions. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called for an investigation into Musk and the Starshield throttling.

Kyiv hunts for a backup

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense signed a letter of intent with Nokia and ICEYE, a Finnish space intelligence firm, to explore building sovereign satellite communications. Zelenskyy also met with Norwegian officials and Kongsberg, a Norwegian defense company, to discuss new satellite communication capabilities. “Modern warfare has proven that reliable communications are a matter of national security,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “We must all rely on capabilities that we can control.”

The restrictions came amid a diplomatic row between Trump and Zelenskyy over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Starlink access was deliberately restricted in Ukraine before, including in 2022, when coverage was not extended for a counterattack in Crimea.