The order to restrict Ukraine’s use of a key U.S.-controlled satellite system came from inside the White House, according to a bombshell new report, as President Donald Trump separately blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over Kyiv’s strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Two U.S. officials and a Western official told Reuters late Thursday that people “inside the White House” directed Pentagon leaders to slow down SpaceX’s Starshield service for the Ukrainian military.
The officials did not say who issued the order. Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official separately told Bloomberg that Trump did not personally direct the restrictions.
Starshield is the military-grade version of Elon Musk’s commercial Starlink service and is controlled by the U.S. government. Ukraine depends on the system for battlefield communications and drone operations, including long-range strikes.
Musk weighed in this week, clarifying that limits on Starshield are “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” His comments came after Ukrainian officials said terminals mounted on fast-moving drones had stopped working properly, disrupting their operations.
According to Reuters, connectivity has since been restored for moving terminals traveling at speeds of up to 100 mph. Axios, citing a Ukrainian official, reported that Starlink and Starshield are back at “full capacity.”
The report comes as tensions between Trump and Zelensky have spilled into public view over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Trump unexpectedly announced an “ENERGY CEASEFIRE” between the two countries on social media, even though neither nation had agreed to it beforehand.
Ukraine later resumed its strikes on Russian refineries after Russia kept hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure despite the president’s ceasefire announcement.
Zelensky has argued that Kyiv’s attacks are retaliatory and has pushed back on pressure to stop them on a one-sided basis.
The satellite restrictions also follow Trump’s move last week to ease sanctions on Russian oil sales. Under that arrangement, Moscow agreed to release diesel onto global markets.
Zelensky slammed the deal, calling it a “gift to Putin.”
While it is still unclear exactly who gave the Starshield order, Reuters reported that Ukrainian officials who sought answers from Washington were themselves told the decision came from the White House.
The disruption hit Ukraine’s drone operations at a critical time, with terminals on fast-moving drones failing to function as intended. Because Ukraine uses the satellite network for battlefield communications and long-range drone strikes, the slowdown had a direct impact on its military operations.
The new reporting adds another layer to the growing rift between Washington and Kyiv. In recent days, the two sides have clashed over the refinery strikes, the surprise ceasefire announcement and the easing of sanctions on Russian oil.
For now, service appears to be back up and running. But questions remain over who inside the White House ordered the slowdown, with the senior U.S. official insisting to Bloomberg that the directive did not come from Trump himself.
