Elon Musk Reportedly Orders Starlink Slowdown, Disrupting Ukraine’s Drone Operations
Elon Musk last week ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.
The restriction reportedly disrupted Ukraine’s attack and air defence drone missions against Russia.
Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
Musk and Trump Discuss Starlink Decision
According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk and US President Donald Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a phone call shortly after the slowdown became public last week.
The report also said the two had discussed the matter before the decision to restrict the service.
Starlink’s military-grade service, known as Starshield, plays a role in Ukraine’s military communications. Musk previously said decisions about the use of Starshield ultimately rested with Trump as US president.
Trump Comments on Ukraine’s Starlink Access
Trump said on Friday that he did not believe either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access in a way that affected its military operations against Russia.
The report comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Kyiv. Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and urged Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.
He also called for Ukrainians to replace Zelenskyy after his administration lifted sanctions on Russian diesel to ease pressure on fuel prices, which have surged since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February.
