Trump may have limited Ukraine’s Starshield at Musk’s request

US President Donald Trump likely agreed to limit the speed of the Starshield satellite system at Elon Musk’s suggestion, which made it harder for Ukraine to defend against drones. The British newspaper The Telegraph reports this, citing four sources familiar with the talks.

“The billionaire tech entrepreneur approached the US president with a proposal to introduce speed limits on the system, which, according to four sources, complicated Ukraine’s defence against drones,” the publication says. According to one source, Trump agreed to Musk’s proposal and thereby opened the way for the Pentagon to throttle Starshield.

Who made the decision

The newspaper recalls that Musk previously blamed Trump for the chaos surrounding the system and claimed that any changes would be decided by the US military and, ultimately, the president. “In fact, both are involved,” a source told The Telegraph. This version was confirmed by a senior European official and two Ukrainian sources.

However, a US official speaking to AFP insisted that Trump did not ask for Starshield services for Ukraine to be restricted. The Pentagon has not yet officially explained why the restrictions were introduced.

Amid pressure on Kyiv

The restrictions appeared amid pressure from Washington on Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries. Earlier, on 11 October, Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

After that, US officials warned the Ukrainian side that the US could stop sharing intelligence if the strikes continued. Zelensky later announced the resumption of attacks on Russian refineries, explaining that Russia continues to hit Ukraine’s energy sector.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz