Musk pointed at the US military over Ukraine’s satellite limits. Now a US official says the administration had nothing to do with them

Ukrainian officials reached out to the White House, CIA, and Pentagon following restrictions that impacted both Starlink and Starshield satellites, according to Axios reporting on October 14th. A senior US official confirmed to Axios that the Trump administration had no involvement in the restrictions. On the same day, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated on X that Starshield systems were owned and controlled by the US government, and that speed or usage limitations were decided by the US military and president.

These restrictions could hinder Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian attack drones and conduct mid-range strikes against Russian forces and military targets in Ukrainian occupied territories. Ukrainian officials suspected SpaceX imposed the restrictions to pressure Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, though the motive remains unconfirmed.

Musk did not directly address the throttling; instead, he clarified that Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX, limited to civilian or defensive use. The White House informed Ukrainian officials they do not have control over SpaceX, with plans to reach out to the company to investigate what transpired. The 160 km/h speed cap disrupted drone missions, as the Defense Ministry stated that Starlink was limited to 160 km/h and that it was in communication with SpaceX regarding stable service conditions.