Starlink still restricted for Ukraine despite Trump saying Musk lifted speed limits

KYIV — Ukrainian interceptor systems remain unable to utilize high-speed internet for intercepting Russian drones or mid-strike maneuvers as of Friday morning, according to Ukrainian officials and a drone operator. Despite U.S. President Donald Trump claiming SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had removed speed constraints on his Starshield service, Ukrainian government and defense ministry sources report the 140-160 km/h speed limits and navigation issues persist.

Connectivity problems re-emerge when speeds exceed 161 km/h, with no confirmation of the restrictions being lifted. Ukrainian drone units initiated tests of speed limits on Thursday evening, following Trump's announcement that Musk had restored Starlink. While some tests achieved speeds up to 200 km/h over the Black Sea, drones frequently lost signal when surpassing the 160 km/h threshold.

A Ukrainian drone pilot, whose call sign is Leon, noted that acceleration above 180 km/h resulted in connection disruptions, with speeds dropping to 140-150 km/h before resuming. Musk stated that the U.S. government controls Starshield, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the administration cannot influence SpaceX or Musk's decisions regarding service restrictions or slowdowns in Ukraine, as it is a private entity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attributed the Starlink speed restrictions to a deliberate strategy to limit Starshield's operating speed over Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian government was reportedly unaware of the reason for these restrictions for several days. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called Musk on Thursday evening and urged him to lift the speed constraints.