{
  "id": 15983348,
  "title": "Rubio says Starlink access in Ukraine is up to Musk, not White House",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/rubio-says-starlink-access-in-ukraine-is-up-to-musk-not-white-house-15983348",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T00:40:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/22/rubio-says-starlink-access-in-ukraine-is-up-to-musk-not-white-house"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Wednesday that the decisions surrounding Ukraine's access to Starlink are determined by SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk, not the White House. This statement came after reports indicated that SpaceX CEO Musk had ordered the slowdown of Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink, relied upon by Ukraine to defend against missile attacks from Russia. Rubio emphasized that the matter was governed by a private commercial contract regarding the use and speed of the service. He stated that no one within the US government was aware of this decision beforehand, though it's unclear whether Musk himself was responsible. The White House's involvement in the matter remains a topic of speculation, with differing claims from various officials. Rubio's comments are expected to heighten concerns in Washington regarding Musk's influence on US foreign policy, signaling a potential shift in the administration's stance.",
  "summary": "Elon Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on to defend against Russian missile attacks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC",
        "title": "Trump denies ordering Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, says he doesn't know who did",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/trump-denies-ordering-starlink-slowdown-in-ukraine-says-he-doesnt",
        "published": "2026-10-21T21:08:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Qatar Tribune",
        "title": "EU urges Musk to provide unrestricted Starlink services for Ukraine",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/eu-urges-musk-to-provide-unrestricted-starlink-services-for-ukraine",
        "published": "2026-10-21T22:20:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Crikey",
        "title": "Ukraine didn’t kill the Putinbots. But it did hand Musk and Trump an excuse",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/ukraine-didnt-kill-the-putinbots-but-it-did-hand-musk-and-trump-an",
        "published": "2026-10-21T22:25:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Rubio says Starlink access in Ukraine is up to Musk, not White House",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/rubio-says-starlink-access-in-ukraine-is-up-to-musk-not-white-house",
        "published": "2026-10-22T00:40:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "WHCA condemns removal of journalist from White House pool",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/whca-condemns-removal-of-journalist-from-white-house-pool",
        "published": "2026-10-22T02:43:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}