U.S. lawmakers demand Starshield access be restored for Ukraine

More than 100 U.S. lawmakers have demanded that Ukraine's full access to the military Starshield system be restored after its speed in the country was throttled again. The legislators wrote about it on X and are waiting for explanations from President Donald Trump and SpaceX.

“We are deeply concerned by reports from Ukraine that Starshield has been restricted again. Congress has made it clear: Ukraine's ability to defend itself and the rest of Europe is a vital U.S. national interest,” the lawmakers wrote. They demanded immediate action to restore Ukraine's full access to the system.

The White House and SpaceX, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, have not yet responded. The American lawmakers were reacting to remarks by Volodymyr Zelensky, who said Starshield's speed in Ukraine had been cut again, as Ukrainian media reported.

The restrictions on the military version of Starlink began while Ukraine, together with the U.S. and Russia, was holding talks in the UAE on ending the war. It is not the first time: Ukraine did not have full access to Starlink in October either, when the U.S., in the middle of the congressional election campaign, was pressuring Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz