World Leader Shames Trump for Handing Putin Sneaky Gift
Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking answers from “the American side” as his war efforts are hindered.
Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that restrictions on a military-grade version of the Starlink network, provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, have returned.
In a social media post, Zelensky reported “significant disruptions” to Starshield’s operations over the past several days, severely hindering Ukraine’s ability to fight off the Russian invasion on the front lines.
No reason for the outage has been reported, but Zelensky said Ukraine is trying to “establish all the circumstances with the American side.”
Speed limits were also imposed on Starshield satellite terminals in October amid allegations that Musk, Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again ally, personally intervened and ordered the restrictions.
It remains unclear whether Elon Musk acted alone when he put the October restrictions on Starshield or was ordered by Donald Trump.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Trump denied asking Musk to restrict the satellite-based network Ukraine relies on, as the president ramped up his desperate bid to end the nearly five-year war he claimed he would resolve within one day of re-entering the White House.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump did, at least, call Musk and ask him to restore Starlink to full capability.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Thursday.
Vyacheslav Prokofiev/via REUTERS
The outage followed the arrival of Trump’s U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for crunch talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Zelensky said the restrictions on Starshield internet terminals mean that services are cut off at speeds above 161 kilometers per hour, severely hindering Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.
Zelensky, pictured with Trump, has ramped up the pressure on Putin.
Ukranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
“The Ukrainian military has already investigated the circumstances, and these are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions,” Zelensky said.
“There have already been strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time. Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine,” he added.
Both Trump and Musk previously dodged responsibility for how and why the October restrictions on Starshield were put in place.
“I don’t want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference, I guess,” Trump said. “The bottom line–he [Musk] put it back.”
In an October post on X, Musk suggested that “any speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and SpaceX for comment.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…