Trump denies limiting Ukraine access to Starlink network

US President Donald Trump has denied limiting Ukraine's access to Starlink's sister internet network Starshield after it restricted drone speed, hampering Kyiv's ability to protect itself from Russian attacks.

Key points

• Some 600, 000 in Ukraine were left without power as communications and energy facilities applied by Ukraine's military were additionally hit in the deadly attacks.
• On Tuesday night, Starlink restricted speed limits to 100mph (160km/h), meaning any weapons that travelled faster than that lost connectivity to the network.
• Funding for Ukraine and helping it obtain through another freezing winter – its fifth since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 – topped the summit's agenda.
• "It wasn't me and I don't think it was Elon, " Trump remarked, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated speed had yet to be restored.
• On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that EU states would not abandon Ukraine.

While Reuters news agency noted on Thursday that the order had come from inside the White House, musk himself suggested the US administration might have been behind the restrictions.

Ukraine was hit by a number of deadly strikes on Tuesday after the network slowdown.

Starlink is a civilian-use high-speed internet network operated by Musk's SpaceX. Starshield – which relies on Starlink- is its military-grade sister service that was designed for the Pentagon.

Notably, the US had previously cautioned it could withhold sharing intelligence, crucial for Kyiv's defences, if Ukraine did not stop hitting Russian oil refineries.

Tension has been brewing between Washington and Kyiv for days over a recent controversial diesel accord between Russia and the US.

Zelensky – angered by the accord – resumed targeting Russian oil refineries this week in a move criticised by Trump three days after he unveiled a ceasefire on energy infrastructure. Kyiv remarked it would stop the strikes if Russia did the same but Moscow never confirmed the ceasefire and continued its attacks.

"If I don't stand up to this. Who else will?" Zelensky asked EU leaders at a summit on Friday.

According to Trump had additionally, zelensky was "more difficult to deal with than Putin".

But speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Friday, the US president remarked he had a good relationship with his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked regarding Starshield, he stated he was "not sure" it "ever came down".

Musk earlier explained that Starshield was managed by the US administration, and that the Pentagon could have been responsible.

In its report regarding the alleged order regarding Starshield, Reuters quoted two US office-holders and a Western official briefed on the matter.

In practice, the US administration has allowed Ukraine to apply Starlink and Starshield in its defence against Russia. Musk cut Moscow's access to the service in February, giving Kyiv an advantage in the conflict.

In practice, a bipartisan group of US senators has signed a letter demanding an investigation into the disruptions to the network.

"Restrictions reportedly degraded Ukraine's ability to conduct defensive operations against Russian drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure, " the letter read.

Speaking at the end of the two-day summit in Brussels attended by Zelensky, Macron remarked it was Europe's job to hold the line in the face of some people's "ambiguities". That was apparently a reference to signs of wavering US backing for Ukraine.

Notably, the war will cost €155bn (£131bn; $174bn) next year, Zelensky informed the European Council, with at least €70bn needed to come from the EU for defence and weapons.

Macron remarked Europe was working to assist Ukraine with its satellite and early warning systems, and Ukraine's friends would look at its request for further aid.

In short, trump denies limiting Ukraine access to Starlink network is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.