Donald Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access

Trump notes Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access. Jacob Bogage and Kanishka Singh Reuters.

Key points

• (Reporting by Jacob Bogage and Kanishka Singh in Washington and Kanjyik Ghosh in Barcelona; Editing by Alistair Bell and Edmund Klamann).
• The Wall Street Journal documented earlier on Thursday that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's apply of Starlink.
• The Starlink system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the Trump-Musk conversation, the WSJ documented earlier, citing US and Ukrainian office-holders.
• More: Ukraine hits Russian refinery as Zelenskyy notes 'we're done' with Trump's energy truce.
• Zelenskyy's relations with Washington have sunk to new lows after Trump confirmed a agreement to purchase Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow.

Trump notes Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access. Jacob Bogage and Kanishka Singh Reuters. Trump notes Elon Musk restored Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite.

President Trump remarked Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access. It it uses for battlefield communications and drone operations against Russia.

WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Donald Trump remarked on Thursday that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had restored Ukraine's Starlink access but the US president declined to comment when asked whether he had spoken to the billionaire concerning the matter.

Notably, the Wall Street Journal documented earlier on Thursday that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's apply of Starlink.

"I don't want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn't create any difference, I guess. The bottom line – he put it back, " Trump remarked to journalists when asked if he spoke to Musk. Trump did not elaborate further.

Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations. Restricting the satellite service hampered the country's attack and air defense drone missions against Russia.

In practice, the Starlink system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the Trump-Musk conversation, the WSJ documented earlier, citing US and Ukrainian office-holders. More: Poland accuses Russian intelligence of sabotaging Elon Musk's Starlink.

Some Ukrainian authorities informed the newspaper the system had not been restored to full functionality but was working at higher speeds than under the cap.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked earlier on Thursday that speed on Starlink systems had not been restored for Ukraine, adding that he hoped for negotiations with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the next few days.

Trump informed Musk he was frustrated the system's speeds remained capped, according to the newspaper.

Trump has denied being involved in the decision concerning the slowdown. Rubio remarked to journalists on Wednesday that decisions regarding Ukraine's access to Starlink were up to its parent business SpaceX and Musk, not the White House.

Zelenskyy's relations with Washington have sunk to new lows after Trump confirmed a agreement to purchase Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow. Trump has additionally informed Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and pressed Ukrainians to replace Zelenskyy.

As the warring sides kept up a barrage of attacks despite the latest US push to end the conflict, russia pounded Kyiv with ballistic missiles and Ukraine sent hundreds of drones towards Moscow on Thursday. Russia introduced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

More: Starlink marks 5-year anniversary. What to know regarding Elon Musk's internet business.

Trump had promised to end the war when he took office but the goal has remained elusive.

(Reporting by Jacob Bogage and Kanishka Singh in Washington and Kanjyik Ghosh in Barcelona; Editing by Alistair Bell and Edmund Klamann). Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around donald Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraines Starlink access point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.