Trump says did not order curb to Starshield for Ukraine

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump said Friday (Oct 16) he did not request a reduction in Starshield services for Ukraine, after tech billionaire Elon Musk insisted any limits on the SpaceX-operated communications system would ultimately have come from the US president.

Kyiv on Wednesday reported restrictions to the service, which it sees as crucial to fending off Moscow's invasion, shortly after Trump criticised Ukraine and urged it to stop targeting Russian oil refineries.

"It wasn't me. And I don't think it was Elon," Trump told journalists, adding: "What I understand is, (it's) the same as it's always been."

Musk had previously said that "any limits on speed or usage" of Starshield systems were "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," referring to Trump.

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

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the service was in the process of being restored, and that "my partners told me that the administration and the White House sent a message to SpaceX asking them" to do so.

Relations between Washington and Kyiv have been increasingly tense in recent days, with Trump calling for Zelenskyy to be replaced after the Ukrainian leader slammed a US deal allowing more Russian diesel into global markets.