White House behind order to restrict Starshield for Ukraine

The order to limit the Starshield satellite system used by Ukraine for battlefield communications and drone operations came from inside the White House, Yahoo via Reuters reports, citing two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter.

The officials said Defense Department leaders received a message that the SpaceX service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed. They did not say who in the White House made the decision.

Ukrainian officials said military-grade Starlink receptors stopped working on fast-moving objects, affecting drones that rely on them for guidance. A Defence Ministry source said the receptors now work in motion, but only at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kph).

The move came as President Donald Trump pressed Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian refineries, which he blames for soaring energy prices.

A senior US official said: “No such request was ever made by the president.”

Elon Musk said on X on Wednesday that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military or the president.