The episode comes as U.S.-Ukraine relations have frayed while Trump has pressed to end the war. SpaceX declined to comment on the Starlink restrictions on Wednesday. But Musk wrote on social media that “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” He did not mention Ukraine. The White House declined to answer questions on the Starlink matter, issuing a statement that “the President and his team remain committed to continuing to play a constructive role in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and he remains optimistic that we’ll ultimately get a peace deal done.”

Ukraine’s difficulty in accessing the satellite terminals followed U.S. warnings that Trump could cut off intelligence support or military sales to Kyiv, top European and Ukrainian officials said. U.S. officials deny the threats were ever made.

A widening rift has opened in the Republican Party over Trump’s foreign policy ahead of the midterm elections. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), who is facing a tight re-election campaign, told the Journal that Congress would act if the U.S. government had imposed speed limits on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink access. “It’s a major problem, and we will do everything we can to fix this,” Fitzpatrick said. Asked what consequences he meant, he said: “If we start going dark on Ukraine there will be consequences, mark my words. Agencies won’t get funding if they’re not doing their jobs.” Republican Senate candidates Ashley Hinson of Iowa and Mike Rogers of Michigan, both Trump allies facing midterm elections, also spoke out against the diesel deal. Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R., Neb.), regular critics of the president, did as well.

Some Republican lawmakers have cheered on Trump’s deal with Russia as a reprieve for American consumers squeezed by high energy prices, while others have rebuked it as a misguided freebie for a Russian leader wholly uninterested in peace. Several Republican lawmakers called the White House angry after the diesel deal was announced, people familiar with the matter said, arguing that the deal handed Russia a win without any concessions and went against a 2022 law that bars U.S. imports of Russian energy without prior congressional consultation.

In an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan on Wednesday, Zelensky said he felt betrayed by Trump’s offer to buy diesel fuel from Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” Zelensky said. “We can’t be weak. Otherwise we can’t survive.”

Administration officials characterized Trump’s offer to buy Russian diesel as a way both to lower U.S. gas prices and to dangle an economic incentive before Putin to bring him back to the negotiating table. The officials said Trump was working first to de-escalate the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, then bring a new offer to Moscow that would grant it access to economic and political benefits if it adheres to a more lasting ceasefire. Administration officials also said Trump remains committed to ending the war and is the only person who can parley with both Putin and Zelensky to forge a viable peace deal. They said Trump remained open to a future economic relationship between the U.S. and Russia once the war is resolved.

The Starlink restrictions followed a series of escalating confrontations over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which have been a central part of Ukraine’s strategy to sap Moscow’s war revenue. Energy analysts said Ukraine’s drone campaign has taken between 40% and 50% of Russia’s refining network offline, though they widely agree that rising diesel prices are primarily the result of the conflict in Iran. The U.S. has asked Ukraine a half-dozen times since mid-September to halt the strikes, people familiar with the discussions said. Ukrainian officials said they would agree to any energy truce with Russia, but that Russia refused to commit — so they did not pull back. Over the next month, Trump increasingly soured on Zelensky as Ukrainian strikes continued, people familiar with the matter said. The president grew annoyed that Ukraine was using U.S. resources to target Russia’s energy exports in a way that he thought could hurt American consumers.

The latest tensions trace to a mid-September meeting in New York during a United Nations summit, at which Trump pressed Zelensky on why Ukraine was striking Russian oil refineries, people familiar with the matter said. Zelensky had flown to the United States confident that things were going his way: Ukraine had blunted Russian advances on the battlefield and he had several positive meetings with Trump under his belt, including a chummy North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in July. Striking such infrastructure is a crucial part of Ukraine’s strategy to hit Moscow where it hurts most — its bank accounts — in an effort to deprive Russia of revenue for the war effort.

On Oct. 9, senior Ukrainian and European officials met in Miami with two top Trump aides, Jared Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, aimed at drafting new peace proposals. In the six-hour meeting, Kushner and Witkoff said the president was considering the diesel deal with Russia, which the Ukrainian and European officials said left them floored, people familiar with the matter said. That same day, Trump held a 90-minute phone call with Putin, announcing the diesel deal shortly after hanging up.

On Sunday, Trump declared an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on social media, saying it would take effect immediately. Shortly after his announcement, Russia launched a strike against a power plant in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Asked about the violation, Trump told reporters: “They agreed. You know why? Because I said you agreed. That’s why. They agreed because I said they agreed, and that thing has to get settled.”

Ukrainian officials and European allies are now incensed at Trump, senior European officials said, arguing that ramping up pressure on Russia — not Ukraine — is the only way to end the war. They argued that Putin will only use any economic lifelines from the U.S. to replenish Moscow’s war chest and prolong the fighting.