Zelenskyy says Starshield slowdown threatens Ukraine's defense

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Starshield satellite service has been throttled again, putting Ukraine's defence at risk.

He noted that Ukrainian interceptor drones rely on Starshield to chase Russian Shahed drones, which can fly as fast as 500 km/h (310 mph). Trying to catch them at roughly 100 mph is inadequate, and he added that some strikes have already gotten through because the interceptors could not achieve the needed speed.

The slowdown arrives as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Moscow today for talks with President Putin and are expected to meet Zelenskyy later at a summit in Ireland, officials said.

This is not the first time the Starshield link has been limited. On 14 October, Ukraine's military observed data rates being capped at a similar threshold, a development that coincided with former President Donald Trump's public criticism of Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, which he blamed for rising US fuel prices ahead of the mid‑term elections. Analysts have pointed to Trump's war with Iran as the main driver of soaring oil and diesel costs.

It remains unclear who ordered the initial restriction. Reuters, citing US officials, reported that the order came from inside the White House, while the Wall Street Journal later suggested that Elon Musk personally ordered the slowdown, possibly after speaking with Trump. Trump has denied any role, the report added.

Musk's statements have varied. He first said Starshield is "owned and controlled by the US government", then later claimed Ukraine had breached Starlink's terms of service. Speeds were restored on 24 October after Trump called Musk and asked him to lift the caps amid bipartisan pressure from lawmakers, according to reports.

Three weeks later the service is again operating at reduced speed, and no party has claimed responsibility for the latest throttling, officials said.