Speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield remain in force, and deliveries of interceptors against Russian ballistic missiles are also being delayed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the statement during an online meeting at the Hudson Institute.
“The speed has not been restored. And the supply of interceptor missiles to defend against Russian ballistic missiles is still being delayed. We are waiting for the interceptors that had already been agreed. But they still have not arrived. This is a real problem, because the Russians attack us almost every day,” the head of state said.
The President stressed that “all of this is happening while we continue fairly successful operations on the front line”.
According to Zelenskyy, it has become harder for Ukrainians to hold the line “partly because of the policy on Starlink and Starshield and the speed restrictions”.
“But our front line is still holding, and I am proud of how strong our people are,” the President concluded.
The Starlink Problem in Ukraine: What We Know
- US President Donald Trump told journalists that internet access via Starlink terminals for the Ukrainian military had supposedly been fully restored.
- Before that statement by his American counterpart, Zelenskyy said that despite an improvement in the situation, the speed restriction above 160 kilometres per hour still exists — which hampers the operation of Ukrainian strike drones and interceptors.
- As is known, Ukrainian forces were left without US warnings about the threat of ballistic missiles after strikes on Russian energy facilities were suspended. At the same time, Starlink satellite internet slowed across Ukraine, complicating Ukrainian forces’ actions on the front line and medium-range strikes on Russian military targets.
- According to the President, Ukrainian interceptor drones for jet-powered UAVs are currently unable to operate because Starlink’s restrictions cap speed at no more than 161 kilometres per hour.
- Ukraine tried to выяснить whether the cause was technical problems at SpaceX or a deliberate restriction. To do so, it sent several vehicles equipped with Starlink to EU countries. It turned out the restrictions apply only on Ukrainian territory, not in the EU.
- In response, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advised Zelenskyy to be more cautious with accusations against the United States regarding Starlink. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that they were not involved in restricting the system’s operation.
- The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, wrote that Musk may have personally ordered restrictions on the operation of the Starshield military satellite communications service in Ukraine.
- Meanwhile, a number of US congressmen urged Trump to persuade Musk to give Ukraine access to Starlink for strikes on Russia. In particular, this concerns locating and destroying missile launchers on Russian territory.