Musk Attributes Ukraine Starlink Slowdowns to US Government, Trump

Elon Musk stated on Wednesday that any disruptions reported by Ukraine in using the Starshield satellite communications system would be the responsibility of the U.S. government, not SpaceX.

Musk said, "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," referring to U.S. President Donald Trump. Ukraine is experiencing slowdowns in the Starlink system, which plays a key role in its long-range drone operations and battlefield communications. The Ukrainian government reported on Tuesday night that its access to the SpaceX-owned Starlink satellite internet service was throttled.

Ukrainian officials suspect orders to restrict their access came from Washington. President Donald Trump has been pressuring Ukraine to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will no longer abide by Trump's demands not to strike Russian oil refineries. This defiance follows Trump easing sanctions on Russia last week as part of a U.S.-Russia diesel agreement.

Ukrainian military expert Serhiy Beskrestnov revealed that Ukrainian military forces have not received any warnings about this restriction, leading to the failure of several missions. Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radosław Sikorski publicly questioned Musk on social media, asking if he was playing politics with your products again? Musk was Trump’s single biggest donor in the 2024 presidential campaign, spending at least $276 million since July to help Republicans maintain congressional majorities. The situation highlights growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington regarding military strategy and the reliability of critical communication infrastructure.