US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the decision about Ukraine’s access to Starlink is in the hands of SpaceX and Elon Musk, not the White House. This implies that Musk may have limited Ukraine’s access to the service. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine uses for defense against Russian missile attacks. Some sources claimed that Musk discussed this situation with President Donald Trump and White House officials before and after the decision was made.
Rubio remarked that he was unaware of any prior knowledge about this decision, but emphasized that it is controlled by a private commercial contract regarding usage and speed. SpaceX did not comment on the matter. According to two US and one Western official, the decision came from the White House, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also claimed, but this was denied by the administration.
Rubio’s comments raise concerns in Washington about Musk’s influence on US foreign policy. He previously stated that no one ordered the slowdown of Starlink services and criticized assertions against the administration. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth characterized the issue as a commercial matter, stating that there are terms of service that SpaceX must adhere to. Rubio also clarified that Ukraine had likely never been granted access to Starshield, a military-grade product, while Zelenskiy mentioned disruptions in both Starlink and Starshield services.
With information from Reuters
