Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is waving a red flag over the partnership between his country and the United States, saying he feels his administration is “losing” a strong ally in the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
“It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” Zelensky said, referring to the U.S., on Wednesday in an interview with Piers Morgan.
Zelensky’s comments came amid reports that speed limits were imposed without warning on Ukraine’s Starshield terminals, which are a part of SpaceX’s militarized version of Starlink, owned and operated by the U.S. Department of War. While SpaceX has not publicly confirmed the reported speed restrictions, the Ukrainian government is saying they could disrupt Ukraine’s defense against Russian air attacks and force the cancellation of certain planned Ukrainian drone operations on Russia.
“It’s a big mistake. A lot of losses — this decision will bring a lot of human losses,” Zelensky said of the Starlink speed restrictions.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who left Zelensky’s administration in July, claimed on X that the Starlink connectivity is being restored to its regular speeds without the restrictions.
“Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored,” Fedorov said. “Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense. Thank you, @elonmusk. We hope for your continued support.”
Reports on Starlink restrictions have become a cause for concern among Ukraine’s allies in Congress. The bipartisan co-chairs of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus — Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), and Joe Wilson (R-SC) — said in a statement that “restrictions that put civilians in harm’s way are unconscionable and will not be accepted by Congress.”
“We are alarmed by reports from Ukraine that US intelligence and Starlink support are being withheld, putting innocent civilians and American citizens in Ukraine at the mercy of Russian attacks,” the caucus co-chairs said in a statement. “Congress has repeatedly made clear that the United States should provide intelligence support to save lives from Russia’s merciless strikes. US allies pay for Ukraine’s access to Starlink.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to SpaceX for comment.
The Starlink restriction news comes as the latest complication of U.S.-Ukrainian relations, following sparring between Trump and Zelensky from earlier this week over Trump’s announced energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky said Russia had violated the terms of the ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure, but Trump insisted later on Monday that the deal was still in effect.
Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine had not received intelligence from allies about an incoming series of airstrikes. Although Zelensky did not blame any particular country for the lack of warning, the news came after reports that the U.S. allegedly threatened to stop sharing intelligence if Ukraine kept attacking Russian energy infrastructure. Trump denied the reports on Tuesday that the U.S. stopped feeding intel to Ukraine.
“We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end, so we’re working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end,” Trump said.
Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) also called attention to the reported throttling of Starshield, appealing to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to speak publicly on the matter.
UKRAINE SAYS SPACEX’S STARSHIELD THROTTLING HAMPERS DEFENSE AGAINST RUSSIAN STRIKES ON ENERGY SITES
“.@elonmusk please tell me these overnight disruptions to Starlink terminals in Ukraine were unintended – that @SpaceX is doing everything it can to fix a temporary glitch,” Tillis wrote on X.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) spoke on the reports of speed restrictions on X, calling the news “deeply alarming.”