Trump says Musk restores Ukraine satellite access after drone disruptions

President Donald Trump says Elon Musk has restored Ukraine’s access to a satellite network after speed restrictions disrupted its military drones. Ukrainian officials, however, say some limits remain, leaving the extent of the restoration unclear.

“The bottom line: He put it back,” Trump told reporters Thursday. Asked whether he had called Musk to seek the change, the president said: “I don’t want to comment on it, you know, whether I called or whether somebody else called. Doesn’t make any difference.”

Ukraine reported problems beginning Oct. 13 with Starshield, a military-grade service operated by Musk’s SpaceX on the same satellite constellation as its commercial Starlink network. Ukrainian soldiers told CBS News that speed limits caused connections to drop on dishes attached to drones, sending some aircraft out of the sky. The restrictions hampered drones used to strike Russian targets and intercept attacks, Ukrainian officials said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier Thursday that the speed available to Ukraine’s military “has not been restored to 400 [km/h; 250mph] yet.” He added: “We are working on it.” He said he was waiting to hear from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had promised to provide information within about 48 hours.

A Ukrainian government official told CBS News on Thursday that some military units could operate at higher speeds, but only at sea. Other units reported disruptions at 160 to 200 km/h. Zelenskyy had told NBC News on Sunday that the maximum speed remained 161 km/h, despite earlier statements from some Ukrainian officials that the restrictions had been lifted.

Who imposed the limits remains disputed. CBS News reported, citing people familiar with the situation, that a decision by Musk led to the restrictions after he spoke repeatedly with Trump administration officials about the president’s thinking. The BBC reported that The Wall Street Journal said Trump later called Musk and asked him to lift the limits; the BBC said it had not confirmed that account.

Musk has denied responsibility. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” he wrote on X. The White House has denied ordering restrictions, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon had made no such directives.

Ukraine uses Starlink for civilian and battlefield communications and Starshield for military operations, including drone missions. Starshield generally works at speeds of at least 160 km/h, according to CBS News, while regular Starlink terminals have a 70 km/h speed cap. Zelenskyy said Saturday that the new limits had prevented Ukraine from using Starshield to shoot down Russian Shahed attack drones.

SpaceX has provided Starlink service in Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Its contracts with the Pentagon cover Starlink service and Starshield terminals, making the networks an important part of Ukraine’s wartime communications.