Donald Trump said Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's access to Starlink internet service after restrictions had hampered Kyiv's armed forces. The connectivity limits reduced the speed of Starshield, a military-grade satellite network that Ukraine relies on to operate drones against Russian targets.
Trump told reporters: "Bottom line, he put it back." He declined to confirm a Wall Street Journal report that he had called Musk to request the restoration, but said access has been returned.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told Musk he was frustrated the system's speeds remained capped at around 160km/h, too slow for Ukraine's offensive drones and interceptors to function effectively. The Journal said the system was working more normally on Thursday after their conversation. BBC News has not independently confirmed the report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the speed had still not been fully restored. He told a news conference that speeds "have not been restored to 400 [km/h; 250mph] yet" and said he was waiting to hear from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the issue.
The restrictions to Starshield arrived as Trump pressed Zelensky to stop Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Trump argued have raised fuel prices. The Trump administration previously denied instructing SpaceX to restrict access. Musk denied he caused the slowdown and said the US government ultimately controls Starshield, which was designed for the Pentagon.
Ukraine first reported an interruption to US intelligence sharing on October 14. The connectivity limits affected Ukraine's ability to use drones to attack Russian targets and protect itself from incoming strikes. Modern warfare increasingly depends on high-speed internet to operate drones effectively.
The Trump administration has already waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to import Russian diesel for the US market, a move Ukraine and European allies have criticized. Trump faces midterm elections next month.