Top Trump administration officials are now pointing at SpaceX founder Elon Musk over the decision to slow down Starlink satellite internet service and its military counterpart, Starshield, for Ukraine, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from powerful Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Ukraine’s access to Starlink was up to Musk, not the White House.
“The bottom line is that that is governed by a private commercial contract as to how their stuff can be used and what speeds they’ll allow it to be used at,” Rubio told reporters while traveling to India.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth struck a similar tone Tuesday, suggesting the slowdown was a commercial matter rather than the result of White House orders.
“There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to, and that’s where Starlink has the option to make those decisions,” Hegseth said.
The comments mark a shift from President Trump’s assertion last week that neither he nor Musk was responsible for the disruption. Rubio had also insisted Saturday that no one ordered the slowdown.
The change comes after The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Musk ordered the slowdown of the satellite services, which Ukraine relies on to defend itself against Russian missile and drone attacks. The Journal reported that at least one person claimed Musk and Trump spoke before the slowdown. Reuters reported last week that the order came from inside the White House in a directive to the Pentagon, though its sources did not say who made the call.
“I don’t know who did it but I was not involved,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.
The relationship between Trump and Musk, which hit a low point during a public spat in June 2025, appears to be on the upswing. Trump awarded Musk the National Medal of Science earlier this month, and The New York Times reported Musk has provided more than $276 million for Republicans in the midterm elections.
Outgoing Texas Sen. John Cornyn, R, said Wednesday he doubted Musk “would do this without at least the acquiescence of the White House.”
“I think it’s frankly shameful,” Cornyn said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “I think we should be supporting the victim, not the aggressor.”
The slowdown followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling Trump “weak” for waiving sanctions on Russia and making a deal to buy diesel from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Don Bacon, R-Neb., have threatened to block Trump’s agenda during the lame-duck session if answers are not provided. Fitzpatrick said that if Musk ordered Starshield’s slowdown, “that is likely a violation of the law.”
Adding to the confusion, Rubio has said Starshield is not currently available to Ukraine and that its use is under discussion.
Zelensky’s allies in Congress have backed a proposal giving Ukraine the ability to strike Russian missile launchers in exchange for halting strikes on Russian oil refineries. That would require Starlink access inside Russia, where it is currently blocked.
A bipartisan group of seven Republicans and 16 Democrats wrote to Trump on Wednesday urging him to call Musk.
“With one phone call, you could both save lives and give Vladimir Putin greater incentives to negotiate,” the lawmakers wrote.
