Trump says Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access amid Russia war
US President Donald Trump has stated that Elon Musk has restored Ukraine’s access to Starlink, a satellite internet service critical to Kyiv’s military operations.
Trump declined to comment on a report that he had instructed Musk to end restrictions on Ukraine’s Starlink connection.
The system returned to normal following the call, but connectivity has reportedly remained spotty.
Ukrainian officials announced on October 13 that sudden restrictions had left the country’s military scrambling.
I don’t want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference, I guess. The bottom line, he put it back.
Disputed responsibility
Questions have persisted about where the decision to restrict access came from, with Musk and Trump administration officials trading blame.
Trump has denied ordering restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starlink.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that decisions about Starlink’s speed and access belong to Musk.
Musk’s claims
Musk has denied any responsibility, stating that Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, is "owned and controlled by the US government".
He added that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.
Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.
Political context
The Starlink speed caps and restrictions have raised concerns that Trump or his right-wing allies might seek to leverage such technology to pressure Ukraine into complying with US demands.
Trump has had a contentious relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, repeatedly calling him "difficult" in comparison to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine has been locked in a slow-grinding war with Russia since February 2022, after Putin launched a full-scale invasion of the Eastern European country.
While Europe has backed Ukraine’s defence against the invasion, Trump has suggested Ukraine itself could be to blame for the conflict.
In 2025, for instance, Trump blamed Ukraine’s ambitions of joining NATO, saying, "I actually think that that was the thing that caused the start of the war".
More recently, Trump posted on Truth Social that it was Zelenskyy’s fault the war had not yet ended, writing, "He doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did".
As the war continues, Trump has been criticised by Democrats and some members of his own Republican Party for easing US pressure on Russia.
Recently, his administration issued a series of announcements to buy Russian diesel and ease restrictions on Russia’s energy sector.
Those decisions come as Trump is struggling with the political fallout of high fuel prices caused by his decision to join Israel in launching a war on Iran.
He has also suggested he would be open to a trilateral meeting with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which would be a first for the three leaders.
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