Rubio says Starlink access in Ukraine is up to Musk, not White House
Elon Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on to defend against Russian missile attacks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Wednesday that decisions about Ukraine's access to Starlink are determined by SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk, rather than the White House. This revelation comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had ordered a slowdown of Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukraine to defend against Russian missile attacks.
Rubio expressed uncertainty about being aware of this decision, but emphasized that it is governed by a private commercial contract and that the speeds allowed are up to Musk's discretion. Both Musk and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment. President Donald Trump, when asked about the matter, stated he did not know who ordered the slowdown, but claimed he was not involved.
This situation has raised concerns in Washington about Musk's influence on US foreign policy and represents a potential shift in the administration's stance.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 4 other outlets
- Rubio says Starlink access in Ukraine is up to Musk, not White House freemalaysiatoday.com
- EU urges Musk to provide unrestricted Starlink services for Ukraine qatar-tribune.com
- Ukraine didn’t kill the Putinbots. But it did hand Musk and Trump an excuse crikey.com.au
- Trump denies ordering Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, says he doesn't know who did cnbc.com
