Ukraine says Starlink restrictions persist despite Trump claim

The context

Kyiv said last week that uplink speeds to the low Earth orbit satellites had been restricted, limiting how fast drones could travel before losing connection. Officials said any drone moving faster than 100 mph dropped its link to the network.

After those reports, Musk said Starshield, which Ukraine uses for some operations, was controlled by the U.S. military and suggested the Pentagon could be behind the problems. The White House has repeatedly denied deliberately placing limits on the network in Ukraine.

The reported slowdown emerged during a diplomatic dispute between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, according to the BBC. Ukraine relies on both the civilian Starlink service and the more secure Starshield depending on its communications needs. The networks draw on 10,000 satellites to provide connectivity in remote areas and on the battlefield.

Why it matters

Starlink and Starshield are central to Ukraine's battlefield communications. Starshield lets drone operators see targets in real time and fly interceptor drones, so connection losses at speed directly degrade both strike and defensive capability. The dispute also raises questions about who controls the service Ukraine depends on: Musk has pointed to U.S. military control of Starshield, while the White House denies imposing limits and Trump says the service has been restored. If Ukrainian accounts are accurate, the gap between official U.S. statements and conditions on the ground remains unresolved.

What’s next

The key open question is whether network performance for Ukrainian forces improves, which the defense ministry sources said they are monitoring continuously. No party has publicly explained the cause of the slowdown, and the conflicting accounts from Trump, Musk, the White House and Kyiv have not been reconciled. Watch for confirmation from Ukraine that restrictions have actually been lifted, or further detail on whether the Pentagon, as Musk suggested, played any role.