Rubio denies White House involvement in Starlink restrictions for Ukraine

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied allegations that the White House demanded restrictions on the operation of the Starlink satellite network for the needs of the Ukrainian military.

Access to Starshield

Speaking to journalists, Rubio explained that Kyiv had previously requested access to the military Starshield system. This technology would have allowed for long-range strikes on targets within the territory of the Russian Federation.

«Українці просили надати їм такий доступ, щоб завдавати далекобійних ударів углиб рф. Наразі вони не мають доступу до цієї системи» ("Ukrainians asked to be given such access to carry out long-range strikes deep into the Russian Federation. Currently, they do not have access to this system"), the Secretary of State stated, according to the US Department of State.

Clarification on restrictions

Rubio categorically rejected claims that the administration of US President Donald Trump had ordered the slowing down of Starlink internet connections to limit the use of satellite communications by Ukrainian drones.

According to the official, this information is untrue. He added that, to the best of his knowledge, the system is working again. However, Rubio did not specify what exact restrictions may have been in place or who made the relevant decisions.

Background of the incident

On 14 October, information emerged about Starlink speed issues that affected the Ukrainian military's ability to carry out a number of tasks. In particular, there were reports of disruptions that could complicate the use of drones, specifically interceptor drones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Starlink slowdown a major mistake and reached out to SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Musk himself had stated that speed restrictions for the Starshield military package depend not on his company, but on the US government.

US President Donald Trump also denied personally making the decision to restrict Starlink for Ukraine. Meanwhile, the British publication The Telegraph reported that Musk may have been the initiator of the restrictions.

On 17 October, Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov stated that Kyiv is in negotiations with SpaceX, the Pentagon, and the US government regarding the lifting of speed restrictions for Starshield. According to him, Ukraine has still not received an explanation as to why the restrictions were introduced at this particular time.

It was previously reported that Mykhailo Fedorov found himself in an ambiguous situation following a public exchange of messages with Elon Musk regarding the operation of satellite communications for the Ukrainian military.