Starlink: Ukraine Says Satellite Speed Limits Lifted

Ukraine's government said its military now has a "stable connection to Starlink" after a ten-day restriction on satellite speeds was lifted. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the restoration on Saturday in a video address posted to Telegram. He said speeds returned to pre-restriction levels overnight and were sufficient for operational use by morning.

The terminals, manufactured by SpaceX and managed by the US government, had been capped at 160km/h earlier this month. The slowdown prevented Ukrainian forces from intercepting Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations behind enemy lines. Russia also launched ballistic missiles at Ukraine without advance warning from Washington.

Blame for the restriction has circulated between Washington and SpaceX. Donald Trump initially denied his administration ordered the cut, saying "I don't know if it was anybody, but it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon." Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said the president "has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr Musk."

Musk pointed back at the government. He wrote on X last week that the systems were "owned and controlled by the US government" and that speed and usage limits are set by the US military and ultimately the president. Vice-president JD Vance said on Thursday that Musk does not want to act between two states without US government direction. Zelenskyy assigned responsibility to both sides, saying the American government ordered the slowdown and SpaceX executed it.

Zelenskyy noted that Starshield terminals operating in European Union countries faced no comparable limits, and that the restrictions applied only to Ukraine. He called the episode a planned operation and warned it would bring human losses. The slowdown coincided with Trump's announcement of a US deal to buy Russian diesel.

On Friday, Trump said he had not spoken to Musk but might have to. "If there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out," he said. A European official told the Associated Press on Thursday that service was not fully functioning, contradicting Trump's claim that day that speeds were back at full capacity. Ukraine reported on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield had resumed at pre-restriction speeds, which Zelenskyy said are the level Ukraine requires for frontline logistics and defense against jet-powered Shaheds.