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Politics · October 16, 2026

Trump denies restricting Ukraine’s access to Starlink — despite fingers pointing at White House

6 sources →

President Donald Trump has denied ordering a slowdown or throttling of Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service, currently used by Ukraine. These denials follow reports from Reuters and The Telegraph citing officials who claimed the White House or Musk initiated the service limitations. The reported disruption occurred amidst a diplomatic rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Trump requested cease following his waiver of sanctions on Russian diesel. In response to the service issues, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has called for an Inspector General investigation into the impact on military operations and personnel safety.

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Reported across the spectrum

  • Donald Trump denied ordering the Starshield slowdown.
  • Donald Trump expressed doubt that Elon Musk was responsible for the slowdown.
  • A bipartisan group of nine U.S. senators requested an Inspector General investigation into the service disruption.
  • The tension follows a disagreement between Trump and Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
  • Trump recently waived sanctions on Russian diesel to lower energy prices.

Reported by only some outlets

  • Four sources told The Telegraph that Elon Musk suggested the move but Trump decided it.
  • Reuters cited two U.S. officials and a Western official claiming the White House ordered the slowdown.
  • A congressional source claimed the slowdown was due to 'Pentagon freelancing'.
  • Starshield terminals moving faster than 100 mph were reportedly limited, affecting drone capabilities.
  • U.S. personnel were allegedly unable to reach bunkers during air raids due to the service disruption.

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