This story has moved on: Musk ordered Starlink slowdown for Ukraine, then reversed it

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 03:32 · Archive

President Trump said Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite internet after restrictions hampered the country's military operations.

President Trump said on Thursday that Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's access to Starlink, the satellite internet service critical to Kyiv's war effort and air defences. Trump declined to comment on a Wall Street Journal report that he had called Musk and instructed him to end the restrictions, saying only that 'the bottom line, he put it back'. The Starlink restrictions, announced by Ukrainian officials on October 13, had left the country's military scrambling and rendered many drones used to strike behind frontlines inoperable, as well as hampering air defence systems.

Trump has denied ordering the restrictions, saying on Friday, 'it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon'. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that decisions about Starlink's speed and access belong to Musk as a private commercial matter. However, Musk has denied responsibility, stating that Starshield is 'owned and controlled by the US government'. A war of words has erupted between the Trump administration, Kyiv and Musk over who bears responsibility for the restrictions.

A European official speaking to the Associated Press disputed Trump's claim, saying the service was not fully functioning at normal speed. The restrictions have come as relations between the US and Ukraine reached their lowest point since Russia's full-scale invasion began nearly five years ago.

How it is being reported

• Trump, Musk, Zelenskyy: who is blaming who in the Ukraine-Starlink row?A war of words has erupted over who is responsible for the restrictions on Starshield access in Ukraine A war of words has erupted between the Trump administration, officials in Kyiv and Elon Musk over who is to blame for limiting Ukraine’s access to Space X’s military-grade version of Starlink. The restrictions to Starshield have rendered many of the drones used by Kyiv to strike behind the frontlines inoperable and hampered air defence systems that stop Russian attacks, according to Ukrainian officials . Continue reading...The Guardian · 23 Oct, 03:16
• Trump says Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access amid Russia warTrump has declined to comment on the process that led Starlink to lift speed and access restrictions on Ukraine.Al Jazeera · 23 Oct, 02:46

In this story: Donald Trump · Elon Musk · Ukraine · SpaceX · Kyiv · Russia

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