Trump Says neither He nor Musk Responsible for Ukraine Starlink Access
Reuters reported the White House approved the reduction, while Ukrainian officials said the limits disrupted drone defenses and battlefield communications.
- On Friday, President Donald Trump denied that he or Elon Musk were responsible for restricted Starlink access in Ukraine, stating, "And from what I understand, it's the same as it's always been."
- Ukrainian officials reported on Tuesday and Wednesday that SpaceX restricted Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink, without warning, impeding military operations and civilian defense against intensifying attacks by Russia.
- The restrictions cut off connectivity for drones or other vehicles traveling above 160 kilometers per hour; Starshield uses the Starlink constellation as its backbone, developed for United States government and Defense customers.
- Reuters reported on Thursday that the White House approved the reduction, while Musk pinned responsibility on President Trump; Poland's Radoslaw Sikorski criticized the move, stating, "As your European customers, we are watching you."
- SpaceX shares are down about 11% this week amid the service dispute; Musk serves as an advisor to the Pentagon on technology through Project Meridian, though the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
136 Articles
136 Articles
Key news items in VOA's "Today's Focus" on October 17, 2026 include: President Trump stated that he is in talks with China and Russia to promote denuclearization; Ukraine stated that its military suddenly lost StarShield military communications services, and President Trump denied ordering any restrictions on StarShield; Texas, Michigan, and Maine are key states in the US midterm elections, and VOA provides updates on the midterm election situat…
U.S. President Donald Trump today rejected responsibility for Ukraine's problems in accessing Starshield, a military application of the Starlink satellite system, after Kiev complained of slow data flow. I don't know if anyone is guilty. But it wasn't me, guaranteed Trump to the press before he left for a campaign rally. The President also cleared Starlink's owner, the magnate Elon Musk, who controls Starlink. I also don't think it was Elon, Tru…
Washington, Oct 16 (EFE).- U.S. President Donald Trump denied this Friday that he or tycoon Elon Musk has restricted the Starlink service used by Ukraine for his defense, limitations denounced by Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenski. “No, we didn’t do that at all. In fact, I don’t even think that [...] Trump’s entry denies that he or Musk restricted Starlink’s service for Ukraine’s defense was first published in HolaNews.
Elon Musk has personally proposed to US President Donald Trump to slow down the Starshield satellite system used by Ukraine, and the latter has accepted the proposal, The Telegraph reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter. According to the report, the restrictions imposed on the system affected the operational capabilities of Ukrainian drones, limiting their speed to about 160 kilometers per hour. This made it significantly more di…
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