Ukrainian officials said Friday that Starlink speed limits remained in place, contradicting President Donald Trump’s claim that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had restored Kyiv’s access to the satellite internet service.
Trump said on Thursday, October 22, 2026, that Musk had restored Ukraine’s Starlink access. "I guess the bottom line, he put it back," Trump said, according to The Hindu, which had only an excerpt of its report available.
Speed restrictions remained in place on Friday, preventing Ukrainian drones from flying faster than 160 kilometres per hour, according to five Ukrainian officials, according to France 24. The officials spoke anonymously.
France 24 reported that the caps have been in place since October 13, as relations between Kyiv and Washington soured.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Telegram: "We are currently not observing any lifting of speed limits on Starlink."
The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk capped the speed at which Ukrainian equipment could connect to the system, making some of Kyiv’s drones useless, according to The Hindu. That report is known only through secondhand accounts.
Musk has said the limits were decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on October 20 that the Pentagon had not directed changes. Trump said he did not impose the limits either.
Trump said he had not yet spoken to Musk about the problem. "If there is a problem, I’ll get it straightened out," he said, according to France 24.
Ukraine uses Starshield, Starlink’s military-grade service, for battlefield communications, mid-range strikes on Russia-occupied territory and interceptor drones. It also uses the civilian Starlink system.
Zelensky said the restrictions complicated efforts to repel Russian jet drone attacks on cities and hampered front-line drone operations.
The Starlink problems followed several moves by Trump. He announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, waived new sanctions on Moscow, called on Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian refineries, and called for Zelensky to be replaced.
Several points remain unresolved. Neither Musk nor SpaceX has responded to the Ukrainian officials’ claims that the limits remain. Trump’s claimed call with Musk has not been confirmed, and he declined to say whether he or someone else made it. The Pentagon’s position is known only from Hegseth’s reported remarks, not a full statement.
Trump said he would "straighten it out" if there is a problem, but no timeline was given for lifting the speed limits or for a response from Musk.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.