On Friday, Trump stated that no directive from the White House had placed any restrictions on SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet services operating in Ukraine. Neither Trump nor Musk bore responsibility for Ukraine losing access to Starlink's military-grade service, Starshield, the president indicated.

When journalists in Washington put the question to Trump on Friday about who had suspended Ukrainian military access, he replied that he was uncertain whether anyone bore responsibility, stated that he personally had not ordered the move, and added that Elon Musk was not involved to his knowledge, before noting that conditions on the ground appeared unchanged from what they had previously been.

Those remarks followed by only a few days the disclosure by Ukrainian officials that SpaceX had, without prior notice, curtailed access to Starshield — a military-grade variant of Starlink — a move that Ukrainian authorities said had disrupted certain battlefield operations and reduced the capacity to protect civilians as Russian attacks continued to mount.

Two satellite networks form the backbone of Ukraine's communications infrastructure. Starlink, the satellite internet network run by SpaceX, supports battlefield communications, troop coordination, supply logistics, and drone operations — including aerial platforms tasked with intercepting incoming unmanned aircraft. Starshield, the second network, serves military functions, and Ukraine has stated that access to both systems was cut off, according to a report published Wednesday.

In the wake of the allegations, Musk directed accountability for any operational limits toward the federal government and the president, writing on X that Starshield systems sit under US government ownership and control, and adding that any curbs placed on Starlink or Starshield activity in Ukraine would trace back to decisions taken at the presidential or White House level.

Starlink and Starshield have served as the backbone of drone-based data collection and broader battlefield communications for Ukrainian troops throughout the conflict with Russia. Connectivity for drones or any vehicle moving faster than 160 kilometres per hour gets blocked under the rules.

Beskrestnov, identified as an adviser to President Zelenskyy, stated in a Telegram post that Ukrainian armed forces had not been notified of the restrictions in advance, a gap he said contributed to the failure of several missions. Separately, Poland's deputy prime minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, took to X to voice objections directed at Musk over the same restrictions.

Poland's purchase of Starlink services from SpaceX on Ukraine's behalf drew a pointed question from one observer directed at Elon Musk, asking whether he was allowing political considerations to shape how his company's products are deployed. In a written message, he described those addressed as European customers and stated that their actions were being observed.

Citing a Friday report from a broadcast outlet, one account indicated that Musk put the idea of throttling Starlink service in Ukraine to Trump, with both figures playing a part in the decision to impose those limits. Two US officials served as the basis for a Thursday broadcast report placing the Starlink restriction order for Ukraine at the White House level, though the identity of whoever issued that directive was not included in the account.

Media reports, citing unnamed sources, indicate that while officials on the US side attributed the incident to a technical fault in the system, their Ukrainian counterparts held a different view — that the episode amounted to a deliberate signal from the Trump administration.

Zelensky told the outlet that his forces had endured large-scale aerial bombardment that day, adding that setbacks involving Starlink connectivity, intelligence sharing, and a range of other unexpected complications had compounded the difficulties.

Starlink access had not returned to full capacity in the days after Ukrainian officials flagged service restrictions, according to Zelenskyy, while media reports attributed the throttling to a directive traceable to the White House — a stretch of time that also included an October 10 post on X in which Musk described Zelenskyy as having gone beyond acceptable bounds, coming after Trump called on Ukraine to stop targeting Russian oil refineries.

At a Brussels gathering of European leaders on Friday, Zelenskyy put forward a request for €70bn in EU funding to support Ukraine's defence operations against Russia through the coming year.

Following a Friday meeting with EU leaders, Zelenskyy told reporters that Starshield had not yet been restored to its previous operational levels, adding that his defence ministry remained in contact with partners who had passed on indications from the White House that those capabilities would be reinstated, before asking whether the service had in fact been brought back to its former speed parameters. That question, he indicated, remains open. The response given, he said, was affirmative.