Trump says Musk has restored Ukraine’s access to Starshield military communications

Ukrainian rescuers walk at the site of a shopping centre damaged following a missile strike in Kyiv on October 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. — AFP pic

First Published: Friday, 23 Oct 2026 9:07 AM MYT

WASHINGTON, Oct 23 — The Starshield military communications system is “back” in Ukraine, Donald Trump said yesterday after the Wall Street Journal reported the US president asked tech billionaire Elon Musk to restore the service, which is vital to Kyiv’s forces.

“I don’t want to comment on it, you know, whether I called or whether somebody else called—doesn’t make any difference,” Trump told journalists when asked about the report.

“I guess the bottom line, he put it back,” Trump said, referring to Musk.

The Journal reported earlier this week that Musk had capped the speed at which Ukrainian equipment could connect to the system, making some of Kyiv’s drones useless.

Musk had previously said that “any limits on speed or usage” of Starshield systems—which are operated by his SpaceX company—were “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” referring to Trump.

But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Pentagon had not directed any changes to Starshield, and Trump said last week he did not do so either.

Ukraine uses Starshield, Starlink’s military-grade satellite service, for its battlefield communications, mid-range strikes on Russia-occupied territory, and its interceptor drones. It also uses SpaceX’s parallel Starlink civilian satellite system.

Relations between Washington and Kyiv have been increasingly tense in recent days, with Trump calling for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced after he criticized a US deal allowing more Russian diesel into global markets. — AFP