Ukraine Says Starlink Restrictions Persist Despite Trump’s Assurances

Ukraine Says Starlink Restrictions Persist Despite Trump’s Assurances
Ukraine says a vital battlefield communications lifeline remains constrained, even as President Donald Trump insists Elon Musk has restored service. The dispute pits Ukrainian reports of continuing failures against Washington’s confidence that the problem has been fixed.

Ukrainian officials and defense experts say SpaceX’s restrictions on Starlink and its military-grade Starshield service are still affecting operations. Since Oct. 14, Ukrainian authorities have reported that drones traveling faster than 100 mph can lose connectivity, limiting strikes on Russian logistics and complicating air-defense missions. Dmitri Alperovitch, a national security expert, said Ukraine is “losing drones” and that its “ability to do mid strike to hit Russian logistics is now limited.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered a sharper assessment, saying the restrictions “are still there” and that “the speed has not been restored.” His defense technology adviser, Serhii Beskrestnov, said isolated cases of faster service likely reflected SpaceX’s algorithms or specific operating conditions—not a broad removal of the limits.

Trump’s position is notably different but qualified. After reports that he had urged Musk to lift the restrictions, Trump first said Starlink had been restored, then told reporters Friday, “I’ve heard it was fixed, but if it’s not, I’ll speak to him.” That formulation leaves open the possibility that the administration lacks direct confirmation of the network’s actual performance.

The two perspectives overlap on one point: the service is strategically important and its status remains unsettled. But Ukraine describes an ongoing operational crisis, while Trump presents the matter as a problem likely already resolved. With no immediate response from Musk or SpaceX, responsibility for the restrictions remains unclear. Kyiv is therefore exploring alternatives with Nokia, ICEYE and Norwegian partners, seeking communications capabilities it can control rather than depend on a private provider’s policies.