Trump Denies Role in Ukraine Starlink Slowdown After Report Says Musk Gave the Order
President Trump on Wednesday denied any role in a slowdown of SpaceX satellite service relied on by Ukraine’s military, a day after a report said Elon Musk personally ordered it.
“I wasn’t involved,” Trump said as he left the White House for a rally in South Carolina, CNBC reported. Asked whether Musk gave the order, he said, “I don’t know who did it, but I was not involved.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, that Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian equipment could stay connected to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink.
The cap left some Ukrainian attack and interceptor drones close to useless, according to the Journal. One person told the paper Musk spoke with several senior officials, including Trump, before imposing it.
CBS News separately reported that a decision by Musk led to the restrictions, and that he held multiple conversations with administration officials beforehand because he wanted clarity on the president’s thinking.
The decision followed public criticism from both Musk and Trump of Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel refineries. Trump blames the war for high energy prices.
Musk has said the decision was not his. He wrote on X last week that Starshield systems are “owned and controlled by the US government” and that any limits “are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Administration officials have pointed back at the company. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president “doesn’t run that company and can’t direct that company to do anything,” Ars Technica reported.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon had not pulled anything back. “Starlink has the option to make those decisions,” he told reporters, according to CBS.
The restrictions cut the connection when a terminal moved faster than about 100 mph, a speed common for Ukrainian drones, the Associated Press reported last week. Slower drones are easier for Russian defenses to target.
A Ukrainian drone pilot and analyst estimated the degraded service cost Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in losses, CBS reported. Zelenskyy’s office said Wednesday the service was still throttled.
Zelenskyy said Rubio told him the slowdown would be “unblocked,” Forbes reported. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is working with partners on new satellite communication options.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told CNBC he does not believe Musk would throttle the service without “at least the acquiescence of the White House.”
A bipartisan group of senators has asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate. “Lives are at risk and lives are lost over these things,” Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Musk responded Wednesday to reports that Democrats are weighing investigations of him if they win control of Congress. “Live by the sword, die by the sword,” he posted, Fox Business reported.
“Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets,” Musk wrote.
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