U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that decisions over Ukraine’s access to SpaceX satellite services are governed by the company and Elon Musk, not the White House. His statement conflicts with accounts that President Donald Trump or other U.S. officials were involved in reported restrictions affecting services used by Ukrainian forces.
Al Jazeera reported that Rubio described the issue as a matter of SpaceX’s private commercial terms. President Trump said he did not know who ordered the slowdown and denied involvement, while Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth also characterized the restrictions as a commercial matter.
The dispute concerns reported speed limits affecting Starlink and Starshield systems in Ukraine. A Ukrainian presidential adviser said on October 14 that a limit of 160 kilometres per hour had disrupted guidance systems for drone interceptors. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said services resumed the following day, according to Al Jazeera. The report also notes an unresolved distinction between Starlink, SpaceX’s commercial service, and Starshield, its military-grade system developed for the Pentagon.
But PBS NewsHour reported that Ukrainian officials still said speed limitations were hampering defensive interceptors and offensive drones. Retired Air Force Colonel Charles Galbreath told PBS that Starlink is contractor-owned and operated, while Starshield is supposed to be government-owned or government-controlled but contractor-operated. He said the conflicting public accounts would require further investigation.
The evidence establishes a public dispute over authority and the operational status of the restrictions, not a confirmed account of who ordered them. It also highlights Ukraine’s reliance on a privately operated satellite network during its war with Russia, while the precise contractual and government-control arrangements remain contested.