Ukraine accuses US of helping Russia amid Starlink restrictions, intelligence row

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the United States of indirectly supporting Russia by failing to warn Kyiv of imminent missile strikes and restricting access to the Starlink satellite internet system utilized by Ukrainian military forces. Zelensky requested US billionaire Elon Musk to restore the Starlink service, which Kyiv claims has experienced slower speeds impacting battlefield operations.

"I hope it’s a mistake, maybe a huge technical problem," Zelensky told British journalist Piers Morgan. "I don’t know, but we are asking to do it, to switch (it) on."

Former Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that Starlink services were being restored, enabling strike and interceptor drones to resume flight. Zelensky expressed feeling betrayed after learning about US President Donald Trump's announcement of a diesel supply deal with Russia, a move he considered to be siding with Russia. Zelensky believed Trump's advisors were misguided and questioned who was pressuring him to take the stance against Ukraine.

Ukrainian leaders condemned what they termed as an unjust lack of warnings about powerful attacks that occurred late Tuesday and early Wednesday. The Ukrainian government also accused Russia of deliberately breaching an unilaterally announced energy ceasefire by former US President Donald Trump. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed that Washington had recently threatened to cease intelligence sharing regarding Russian missile launches, a critical piece of information for Kyiv to anticipate and counteract attacks.

Ukrainian defense officials suggested that the United States might be responsible for the reported slowdowns in Starlink internet terminals. These systems are crucial for Ukrainian forces to support military operations in Russian-occupied areas and operate interceptor drones. Sergiy Beskrestnov, Zelensky’s adviser, argued that the timing of the attacks and the reported Starlink restrictions were not coincidental, stating that Ukraine’s partners were stripping away one of their few chances to defend against jet-powered Shahed drones.