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Trump denies ordering restrictions on Starshield for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the service was being restored and that his partners had informed him that the administration and the White House had asked SpaceX to do so.

El presidente Donald Trump-Imagen de Archivo

President Donald Trump—File PhotoAFP.

Carlos Dominguez
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Carlos Dominguez

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1 minute read

President Donald Trump denied on Friday that he had requested a reduction in Starshield service for Ukraine, after Kyiv reported restrictions on a system it uses for combat communications and drone operations. "It wasn't me. And I don't think it was Elon," Trump told reporters, adding that, according to his information, the service "is, (it's) the same as it's always been."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the service was being restored and that his partners had informed him that the administration and the White House had asked SpaceX to do so. The restoration came after Ukraine reported speed limits affecting terminals installed on drones and military communications.

Starshield is a Pentagon capability

Elon Musk explained on X that SpaceX does not control Starshield's restrictions: "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."

Ukraine uses Starshield for communications on the front lines, medium-range strikes against Russian-occupied territory and interceptor drones. Therefore, any limitation has an immediate operational impact and explains the alarm in Kyiv.

Trump sets the limits on support

Donald Trump has openly criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, which he considers a threat to global energy prices. In an interview with Newsmax, the U.S. president called the resumption of these attacks "a disgrace," stating that "all he's [Zelenski] doing is making the world oil price higher."

"There are a lot of targets you can hit, but when you shoot at diesel refineries where you make, you know, diesel oil, and we need that, and the world needs that, then he's not doing a good service for the world," he added.

At the same time, Trump has called for a change in leadership in Ukraine following the breakdown of the energy truce that he himself had unilaterally announced. "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal," the president told reporters last week. "… And I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president."

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