SpaceX Starlink Throttling in Ukraine Leaves Trump and Musk Pointing Fingers

Russia is bombing Ukrainian cities relentlessly ahead of another winter, and Ukraine’s ability to defend itself now appears to be hindered by a restriction on SpaceX’s Starlink network and Starshield, its military use subscription service. The Telegraph, citing four sources familiar with the talks, reported on Friday that Elon Musk approached Donald Trump with the idea of slowing Starlink in Ukraine, and that Trump agreed. Musk was reportedly alarmed about a possible consumer backlash in Europe.

Starshield Speed Limit and Ukraine Defense

Ukraine relies on Starlink and Starshield for communication, logistics, live drone feeds, radar, targeting and intercepting jet-powered Russian drones. On Wednesday, Ukraine’s former defense minister tagged Musk on X and said removing the Starshield speed limit was now critical. Musk replied that Starshield limits are decided by the US military and ultimately the president, and that Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities. An unnamed source told The Telegraph the reality was that both were involved.

Trump and Zelenskyy Respond to Starlink Restriction

Trump told reporters on Friday that it was not him and he did not think it was Musk. On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC’s Meet the Press that his generals and government believe the US government sent a message to limit the speed, and that SpaceX carried it out. He said service has not returned to normal and asked why Ukraine was being restricted when it only wants to defend itself.

Starlink Business and SpaceX Stock

Starlink has more than 13 million subscribers worldwide and is a core part of SpaceX’s business, which is also moving to challenge legacy wireless carriers. SpaceX shares closed at $146.03 on October 16, down 1.74%.