Zelensky says military speed has not returned to 400 km/h
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s internet access through the satellite-based Starlink system. The statement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said connectivity used by Ukraine’s military had not yet been fully restored. Trump was asked about a report that he had pressured Musk to restore the service; he declined to be drawn on it, saying, “Bottom line, he put it back.”
Musk had previously denied that he was behind the slowdown. The Trump administration had previously insisted that it had not instructed Musk’s company to restrict access.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky said at a press conference that the system’s speed had not been restored to 400 km/h and that Ukraine was working on it. He said he was waiting to hear from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had promised to get back to him with information within 48 hours or so.
The Wall Street Journal reported shortly afterward that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Starlink. According to officials cited by the outlet, Trump was frustrated that the system’s speeds were still capped at around 160 km/h. The Wall Street Journal said the speed limit made Ukraine’s offensive drones and interceptors powerless against Russian attacks.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the conversation. BBC News said it had not confirmed the Wall Street Journal’s report and had contacted the White House and SpaceX to ask for an explanation.
Ukraine relies on Starlink, owned by Musk’s SpaceX company, for a range of battlefield communications and early-warning systems during Russian missile attacks. The BBC said the slowdown affected Ukraine’s ability to use drones to attack Russia.
Ukraine first reported an interruption to U.S. intelligence sharing on 14 October. Musk said the previous week that the U.S. government ultimately controls access to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine uses for some of its operations. He said the system was designed for the Pentagon, suggesting that the U.S. government might be behind the restrictions. The White House had repeatedly said it did not order access to be restricted.
The connectivity restrictions came as Trump put pressure on Zelensky to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, which Trump argued had caused prices to rise.
Faced with midterm elections next month, Trump had waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to a deal to import Russian diesel for the U.S. market. Ukraine and its European allies criticized the move.
The accounts left the extent of the restoration unresolved. Trump said access had been restored, while Zelensky said the military speed had not returned to its earlier level. The Wall Street Journal reported more normal operation shortly after the conversation, but BBC News had not confirmed that report.
Earlier reporting said Ukrainian officials suspected Trump had ordered the restrictions and recorded Musk’s claim that limits on Starshield were decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president. The current account advances that unresolved dispute, but it does not establish that every restriction was lifted.