Trump is said to have asked Musk to lift Starlink throttling

Satellite Internet service Trump is said to have asked Musk to lift throttling As of: October 23, 2026 • 4:28 a.m

The Ukrainian military complains about a throttling of Elon Musk's satellite internet service. According to a media report, Trump is now said to have ordered the repeal. The US President himself takes a position on this - but many questions remain unanswered.

The Starshield military communications system, which is important for Ukraine and which, according to US media, was restricted for the country by US entrepreneur Elon Musk, is "back" again, according to US President Donald Trump. There is currently no official confirmation from Kiev that the throttling has been lifted.

"I don't want to say anything about whether I called or whether someone else called - it makes no difference," Trump said in response to journalists' questions about whether he had spoken to Musk. “I guess the bottom line is he turned it back on,” Trump said.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing US government officials, reported that Musk had ordered a restriction on Starshield. This led, among other things, to some Ukrainian drones becoming inoperable. According to the WSJ, Trump is now said to have ordered Musk to lift the restrictions again.

However, a Ukrainian official told The Kyiv Independent that these claims were “all false.” The speed limit of 161 kilometers per hour when steering drones remains in effect.

If this is true, it raises some questions - including for US President Trump. more

Starshield is the military variant of the commercial satellite internet service Starlink, which is also operated by Musk's company SpaceX. Starshield plays an important role in the communication of the Ukrainian armed forces at the front and is important for controlling drones and defending against them. It is based on the huge Starlink satellite network, but uses improved encryption and special terminals.

Musk had said that "any restrictions on the speed or use" of the Starshield system, which is operated by his company SpaceX, would be decided by the US military and ultimately the president. This was rejected by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and also by Trump.

Relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks.

This topic in the program: The First | daily news | Oct 23, 2026 | 01:48 am