Trump says Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access after disruption

US President Donald Trump said Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's Starlink internet access, after restrictions hampered Kyiv's armed forces. Trump's remark came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said connectivity to the military-grade Starshield network, provided through Musk's satellite-based Starlink system, had not been fully restored.

Trump would not be drawn on a Wall Street Journal report that he had called Musk to ask him to lift restrictions. Asked about the report, he said: "Bottom line, he put it back." The Trump administration has previously denied instructing Musk's company to restrict access. Musk has previously denied being behind the slowdown. BBC News has not confirmed the Journal's report and has contacted the White House and SpaceX for an explanation.

Pressure over oil refineries

The connectivity restrictions emerged as Trump pressed Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Trump has argued have pushed prices up. With midterm elections next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the US market. Ukraine and its European allies have criticised that move.

Ukraine relies on Starlink, owned by Musk's SpaceX, for battle communications and early warning systems during Russian missile attacks. Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky said the network speed used by Ukraine's military had still not been restored fully. At a press conference, he said the speed "has not been restored to 400 [km/h; 250mph] yet", adding: "We are working on it." He also said he was waiting to hear from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had promised information within about 48 hours.

Report of Trump-Musk call

Zelensky's comments came shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink. The US outlet reported that Trump told Musk he was frustrated that speeds were still capped at around 160km/h, according to officials. The limit made Ukraine's offensive drones and interceptors powerless against Russian attacks, the Journal reported. It said the system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the conversation.

Ukraine first reported an interruption to US intelligence sharing on 14 October. Musk said last week that the US government ultimately controls access to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink used for some Ukrainian operations. He said the system was designed for the Pentagon, suggesting it may therefore be behind the restrictions. The White House has repeatedly said it did not order access to be restricted.

Source: BBC World.