Credit : BRICS News's X
WASHINGTON, October 22, 2026 – US President Donald Trump has said that Elon Musk restored Ukraine’s access to Starlink, while declining to say whether he had spoken to the SpaceX chief, BRICS News reported, after The Wall Street Journal said Trump had asked Musk to lift speed restrictions on the service.
BRICS News first reported in a post on X that Trump had asked Musk to lift Starlink speed restrictions in Ukraine, citing the WSJ. In a later post, it said Trump had confirmed that Musk restored Starlink access to Ukraine but refused to say whether he spoke with him.
According to the WSJ, Trump called Musk on October 21 and asked him to lift restrictions on a military-grade version of Starlink in Ukraine that the SpaceX chief had throttled, citing US officials. The system was working more normally on October 22, shortly after their conversation, US and Ukrainian officials told the newspaper, although some Ukrainian officials said it had not been restored to full functionality.
Asked about the reports on October 22, Trump would not say whether he had made the call, but told reporters: “Bottom line, he put it back,” the BBC reported.
Ukrainian defence ministry sources, however, told the BBC that drones were still losing connection at speeds of 161km/h (100mph), hampering military operations, and that there was “currently no confirmation that these restrictions have been lifted”. Earlier on October 22, Zelensky said the speed of the system had still not been fully restored and that he was waiting to hear from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The dispute began on October 14, when, according to Ukrainian communications specialist Serhii Beskrestnov, Ukraine experienced unexpected new speed limits on Starshield, the military-grade sister service of Starlink, meaning any weapon travelling faster than 100mph lost connectivity. The WSJ later reported that Musk had ordered the slowdown, while Musk said that “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government”, with decisions resting “ultimately” with the president. Trump had earlier said he “was not involved”, before the WSJ reported his call to Musk this week.
Rubio has said that decisions over Ukraine’s access are governed by a private commercial contract.
The slowdown came amid a diplomatic row between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Trump blames for higher energy prices. Ukrainian forces rely heavily on satellite connectivity to operate drones on the front line, making any restriction on the service a significant concern for Kyiv.
The episode has raised wider questions in Kyiv about Ukraine’s dependence on a commercial satellite network controlled by a private company and, ultimately, subject to decisions in Washington. Ukrainian officials have said they will continue to monitor the performance of the system on the front line.
The row has also exposed tensions within Washington over who controls the service. While Musk has pointed to the US government, Rubio’s description of a private commercial contract places the matter with the company, leaving Kyiv seeking clarity from both. SpaceX had not publicly commented on the latest reports at the time of writing.
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