Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters on Friday that access restrictions on both Starlink and Starshield satellite services remained in place — a position that diverged from a claim made earlier by US President Donald Trump, who had attributed the restoration of the satellite system's connectivity to Elon Musk.

Bandwidth caps on Starlink and Starshield have not been removed, Zelenskyy stated, with his government calling on SpaceX and the US administration to lift the limits. Ukrainian officials noted that the constraints had hampered the operation of high-speed drones deployed against incoming Russian strikes.

Denys Sienik, serving as Ukraine's deputy ambassador to the United States, indicated that conditions on the ground had not shifted. In a Friday post on X, Sienik conveyed that Ukrainian authorities had yet to see the restrictions lifted, and argued that those on the defensive front required adequate equipment to protect civilian lives.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump had attributed the restoration of the satellite system's connectivity to Musk, though no documented exchange between the two on that topic had been made available to the public. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump stated that no conversation with Musk had taken place, adding that he would reach out if the matter continued and that word had come back to him that it was already resolved. He added that, should that not be the case, a conversation with Musk would follow.

When asked who had ordered the slowdown, Trump stated he had no knowledge of the matter and would not share that information regardless. Ukrainian officials noted that the restrictions had affected military equipment travelling at speeds above 100 miles per hour, cutting satellite connections and interrupting operations along the front lines.

A source within the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, contacted by a news outlet, indicated that no official confirmation of lifted restrictions had been received and that episodes of signal disruption were continuing to be recorded. The officer reported periodic signal drops of ten to fifteen seconds, noting that gaps of that length placed coordinated operations under strain.

The officer also noted that reconnaissance drones and those fitted with Starlink systems had been lost at a rate above what is typically recorded. Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, conveyed to a broadcast outlet that Ukraine's drone inventory was being depleted.

Beskrestnov, described as an adviser on defence technology to Zelenskyy, stated that sporadic bursts of connectivity exceeding the speed threshold did not amount to proof that the restrictions had been lifted. According to an initial account from Ukrainian authorities, a loss of function was recorded on 13 October across terminals travelling at speeds above 100 mph. Jet-powered variants and other interceptor drones deployed against incoming Russian strikes saw their effectiveness reduced by the interference.

Musk has stated on prior occasions that Starshield remains under the ownership and operational control of the federal government, with any caps on speed or usage falling under military authority and, ultimately, that of the sitting president. That position has drawn scrutiny after four Democratic senators formally requested that SpaceX account for access restrictions reportedly placed on Ukrainian assets during a five-day window from October 10 through October 15. A deadline of 2 November has been set for the delivery of answers and documentation.