Ukraine says restrictions on its access to Starlink and Starshield satellite services remain in parts of the front, while senior U.S. officials and Elon Musk are offering conflicting accounts of who controls the systems.
Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukrainian checks continued to show a speed limit of about 100 mph (160 kph), contradicting claims that the service had returned to normal. PBS News, citing Associated Press reporting, said Zelenskyy had also reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him the services would be fully restored within 48 to 72 hours, but that the limits were still in place. PBS News report
The dispute concerns two related but distinct services. Ukraine uses commercial Starlink connectivity as well as the more secure Starshield system, which the BBC reports Ukrainian operators use to see targets and operate interceptor drones in battlefield conditions. BBC report
The public explanations from Washington and Musk do not establish a single chain of control. Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration had not ordered any interruption and pointed to SpaceX’s authority over service decisions. Vice President JD Vance, however, said Musk runs a private corporation and suggested the issue was ultimately about U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia, according to the PBS report.
Musk has drawn a distinction between the systems. PBS reported that he said Starshield is owned and controlled by the U.S. government, with limits ultimately decided by the U.S. military and the president, while Starlink is a commercial SpaceX service restricted to civilian or defensive activity.
Trump has denied ordering restrictions but said the service had been put back, according to PBS. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine still has no explanation for the limits and described their country-specific application as planned. Neither report establishes who imposed the current restrictions or whether the promised restoration has occurred in all affected areas.