Trump, Musk, Zelenskyy: who is blaming who in the Ukraine-Starlink row?
A war of words has erupted over who is responsible for the restrictions on Starshield access in Ukraine
TL;DR
- A dispute involves the Trump administration, Ukrainian officials, and Elon Musk over restrictions on SpaceX's military Starlink (Starshield) service in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian officials state the restrictions have negatively impacted their drone operations and air defense systems, contributing to civilian casualties.
- Donald Trump denied his administration's involvement and claimed the service was restored, but this was disputed by a European official.
- Elon Musk initially blamed the US government and POTUS for any speed or usage limits, stating Starshield is owned and controlled by the US military.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially blamed SpaceX and the US for the restrictions, later suggesting SpaceX was ultimately responsible for limiting the speed.
- The Wall Street Journal reported the US president asked Musk to restore the service, and that Musk ordered the slowdown, with differing accounts on whether this was coordinated with Trump.