Trump asked Musk to remove Ukraine’s Starlink restrictions, Wall Street Journal reports
US and Ukrainian officials reported improved Starlink service after Trump spoke with Musk, though some said full functionality had not returned.
Washington, United States. President Donald Trump telephoned Elon Musk to request the removal of restrictions affecting Ukraine’s Starlink service, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, attributing the account to US officials.
Officials report improved service
The Journal cited officials from Ukraine and the US as saying Starlink was operating more normally on Thursday, soon after the conversation between Trump and Musk.
Some Ukrainian officials told the newspaper that speeds had increased beyond the restricted level, although the service had not regained full functionality.
According to officials cited by the Journal, Trump expressed frustration to Musk that speeds were still limited to approximately 100 mph (160 kph).
Zelenskiy seeks talks with Rubio
Earlier Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s Starlink speeds had not recovered. He also expressed hope that he would hold discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the following days.
On Wednesday, Rubio said authority over Ukraine’s Starlink access rested with SpaceX, the service’s parent company, and its CEO Musk rather than with the White House.
Restrictions hamper drone missions
Ukraine relies on Starlink to communicate on the battlefield and operate drones. The satellite service restrictions hindered Ukrainian drone missions involving attacks and air defence against Russia.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →