Ukraine is still unable to use its interceptor systems against Russian drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, because of speed restrictions imposed on Starshield, an upgraded military version of Elon Musk's Starlink, amid an ongoing row with President Trump. "Unfortunately, we can't use Starlink or Starshield technology on our territory today to shoot down jet-powered Shaheds," Zelenskyy said in an online group chat with reporters at the EU Summit. "They fly, and we can stop them with aircraft and other air defense, but we don't use Starlink for that, unfortunately.
God willing, this will be restored." Zelenskyy said Kyiv was discussing the issue with U.S. officials, and he was told the restrictions were linked to technical issues. The Ukrainian president added, however, that Starlink appears to be operating at higher speeds on European Union territory. "Yes, we are in dialogue at the level of the military, the Ministry of Defense and diplomats, in touch with everyone including SpaceX.
Nobody there is answering our military or the Ministry of Defense now," Zelenskyy said. "At various levels they say these are technical problems." "Here (in Ukraine) Starlink works up to a speed of 161 km/h, then shuts off," he continued. "In the EU it works at 180-plus and works constantly.
Here it shuts off in the second minute after 161 km/h and stops working. We lose both drones and connectivity." Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday he had not limited Ukraine's access to Starlink, adding he didn't believe Musk, SpaceX's CEO, was responsible either.
"Well, I don't know if it was anybody because it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon," Mr. Trump said while leaving the White House to travel for a rally in Georgia. "And from what I understand, it's the same as it's always been." Musk said Wednesday he isn't responsible for deciding how Starshield is used, writing on X: "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government.
Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." Starshield is essential to Ukraine's armed forces as it allows personnel to communicate and carry out strikes, including by maintaining contact with drones across long distances. On Saturday, Zelenskyy said Russia carried out a large attack on Ukraine's energy sector, targeting more than 15 critical power generation and transmission facilities across the country. A day earlier, the president said the current restrictions on Starshield had left people vulnerable to Russian drones, which was "very painful and frustrating" Ukrainian officials and soldiers told CBS News the country's military began experiencing sudden difficulties with Starshield equipment late Tuesday, including speed limits that made it more difficult to carry out missions with fast-moving drones.
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