Accounts from military personnel described interruptions to drone operations, but Donald Trump disputed those characterisations, saying no directive from him had placed any restrictions on Ukraine's access to the Starshield satellite network operated by SpaceX. Queried about who had authorised the changes, Trump stated on 16 October that he played no part in the restrictions.
The dispute arose after accounts emerged indicating that a throttling measure on connection speeds had interfered with drone communications being used in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Speaking to reporters prior to his Friday departure from the White House for Georgia, Trump stated that the slowdown had not been authorised by either himself or Elon Musk.
That morning, according to his account, a check of the situation had left him with the impression that services were running as they had been. He also expressed doubt about whether any outage had actually taken place.
His account diverged from the narrative put forward by officials, whose testimony had underpinned a story broadcast on 15 October. According to three officials — two from the United States and one from a Western government — the directive to decelerate the Starshield programme originated within the White House before making its way to Pentagon leadership. No details emerged about who had given approval for it.
In a separate statement, one senior US government official put forward the position that no such order had come from Trump. In a post on X, Musk — who leads SpaceX — stated that ownership and operational control of the system rest with the US government, and that authority over how it gets deployed rests jointly with the armed forces and the head of state.
Two distinct satellite programmes operate under the SpaceX umbrella: one directed at government security contracts, the other delivering internet connectivity to a wider commercial and consumer base.
Connectivity dropped on certain satellite terminals, according to accounts from those operating the equipment, whenever the devices were mounted to drones or ground vehicles travelling beyond 160 km/h (100 mph). Drone navigation and monitoring operations — among them efforts aimed at countering incoming Russian strikes — were hampered by the restriction. According to those officials, no advance notice of the adjustments reached the troops on the ground.
According to a statement from Serhii Beskrestnov, who holds an advisory role within President Zelensky's office, a number of operations did not achieve their objectives. Connectivity at certain terminals was partly restored, though the throttle on data throughput had yet to be lifted by Friday. Beskrestnov noted that talks between Ukraine, the US government, and SpaceX over the cap were under way.
Zelensky indicated that a full return to normal operations had yet to take place. Strikes from the air, sustained across several days, left civilians dead and damaged sections of the electrical network, depriving hundreds of thousands of residents of power. According to a statement from Ukrainian authorities, the measures in place left their forces less able to counter airborne threats.
A formal appeal for a Pentagon inspector general inquiry into the communications breakdown drew backing from nine senators spanning both sides of the aisle. The correspondence outlined apprehensions about Ukraine's capacity to intercept incoming missiles and drones, alongside accounts of hardships encountered by American personnel when air-raid alerts were triggered.
A formal request from the senators directed investigators to establish whether any US officials or contractors had issued, sanctioned, or been aware of the restrictions. A status update along with a preliminary briefing were among the items they put forward for completion by 1 November. No blame for the slowdown was placed anywhere in the letter's contents.
The disagreement is unfolding against a backdrop of competing pressures — namely, Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil-refining infrastructure and a separate arrangement between the United States and Russia centred on diesel fuel. Kyiv's position, as stated by Zelensky, is that strikes on Russian refineries will continue until Moscow stops targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, a stance that puts him at odds with the approach Trump has been pressing.
Speaking at a Friday gathering of European leaders in Brussels, Macron outlined France's commitment to ongoing backing for Ukraine. At a meeting with EU leaders, Zelensky put forward a request for at least EUR 70 billion in defence funding from the bloc over the coming year, with the conflict now moving into its third consecutive winter.
