Trump asks Musk to lift Ukraine Starlink restrictions amid dispute over 100 mph cap
Key Facts
U.S. President Donald Trump asked Elon Musk to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a Wall Street Journal report based on U.S. officials. The newspaper said the request came during a call between Trump and Musk about the service. The restrictions concern terminals' connectivity while in motion, with a letter from senators to SpaceX saying they covered devices moving at speeds above 100 miles per hour. Reuters reported that the restrictions on the satellite service disrupted Ukrainian attack drone missions. They also hampered missions by air defense drones Ukraine uses against Russia.
Some Ukrainian officials told the Wall Street Journal that the system's performance improved after the conversation but that it had not regained full functionality. In remarks reported by the Associated Press, Trump said Musk had restored service, without confirming whether he had personally called him to request it. He added: "Whether I called or somebody else called, it makes no difference." In contrast to Trump's announcement, a senior European official told the agency that the speed cap on terminals in motion remained in place on Thursday at about 100 miles per hour, or 160 kilometers per hour. The European official's account of the continuing cap came alongside statements from Ukrainian officials that the improvement had not restored all of the system's functions.
Starshield is a product designed for government and military use, built on Starlink technology, according to the Associated Press. It includes additional encryption and security measures to protect sensitive government operations, according to the agency's description of the service. Musk said, in remarks reported by Reuters on Wednesday, when the crisis began, that "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said in remarks reported by Reuters on Wednesday that decisions on making Starlink available to Ukraine rested with parent company SpaceX and Musk, rather than the White House. Trump had denied on the previous Friday that he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine's loss of access to Starlink, in remarks to reporters as he left the White House for Georgia.
Bipartisan senators called for an inspector general investigation into Starshield disruptions in Ukraine, according to a letter published on Senator John Cornyn's official website. The letter called for an examination of whether government decisions or actions by contractors may have contributed to those disruptions. In a separate move, Representative Jason Crow asked the Trump administration to identify who authorized the restrictions on the service. He sought clarification on whether the restrictions were an independent decision by SpaceX, a directive from the U.S. government or an action coordinated between the two. Senators also demanded answers from the company about the restrictions and authority over the service, according to a letter published by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
On battlefield communications, a Ukrainian drone unit commander told the Associated Press that the military was preparing communications alternatives. But he described the alternatives as "more expensive and less effective." On the diplomatic front, Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hoped to hold talks with Rubio in the following days about the problem. Zelenskiy's remarks about contacting the U.S. secretary of state came before the report of improvement published on Thursday. That was followed by Trump's announcement that Musk had restored service, alongside continuing conflicting Ukrainian and European accounts about whether it had been fully restored.
The deadlines lawmakers set for responses begin on 30 October 2026, the date by which Crow asked the Trump administration to answer his questions about the restrictions. Those questions include whether the decision came from the company or the government, or was coordinated between them. The senators' letter calling for an inspector general investigation requested written confirmation of the investigation's status, along with an initial briefing, no later than 1 November 2026. The senators' letter to SpaceX set 2 November 2026 as the deadline for providing the requested information. That letter's demands include answers from the company about restrictions on use and which parties have authority to control the service.