What happened
The US War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has suggested that a violation of Starshield's terms of service may have led to speed restrictions on Ukraine's use of the satellite network. The restrictions have hindered Ukraine's ability to operate drones and intercept Russian attacks. Hegseth stated that the US has not pulled back any support and that the terms of service need to be complied with, giving Starlink the option to make decisions.
There are conflicting accounts over who ordered the slowdown of Starshield, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believing a political decision has been made to slow down support for Ukraine. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, has pointed out that Starshield is owned and operated by the US government, while President Donald Trump has maintained that he did not impose the speed restrictions.
The dispute over the speed restrictions comes as Ukraine has depleted its stock of US-made Patriot interceptors, leaving the country susceptible to aerial attacks from Russia. Zelensky has blamed Hegseth for the delayed arrival of the interceptors, which NATO has already paid for. Hegseth has disputed this claim, stating that the US has not changed its posture towards Ukraine and wants to ensure its military has the most possible capabilities.
The issue has created tensions between Washington and Kyiv, with Trump criticizing Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and Ukrainian officials defending their military operations as necessary to counter Moscow's aggression. The situation remains unresolved, with no clear explanation for the speed restrictions on Starshield and ongoing disputes over Ukrainian defense needs.
