Ukraine: Starlink still speed-limited despite Trump saying restrictions lifted

US President Donald Trump said on 23 October 2026 that Elon Musk had restored full operation of the Starlink network and its military version, Starshield, in Ukraine. The Ukrainian side says the restrictions are still in place.

What the problem is

According to media reports, from 14 October 2026 Ukrainian military equipment lost its connection to the SpaceX satellite network when moving faster than about 160 km/h. That made it harder to use Starlink on drones, including interceptor drones. The latter are used to counter Russian Shahed-type drones. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 17 October that the 161 km/h limit made such use of the network impossible.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered Starshield to be restricted. According to the paper, he may have acted on his own, although he discussed it with Trump. Musk wrote on the X platform that the Pentagon decides on the restrictions and, "ultimately, the president". Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that any decision had been taken on the matter.

The call to Musk and Trump's remarks

On 22 October the paper reported, citing US officials, that Trump had phoned Musk and asked him to lift the limits. According to the paper, the system then began to work better, although some Ukrainian officials said it had not regained full capability. Trump did not confirm the call. He said it made no difference who called, and that the main thing was that the network had been restored.

Ukraine: restrictions remain

A source in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence told the Ukrinform agency that connection drops at 161 km/h were still occurring on the morning of 23 October. Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov, an independent adviser to the Ukrainian president, wrote on Facebook that isolated cases of operation above the limit do not mean it has been lifted. Zelensky said on 22 October that the network's speed had not been restored.

Denys Sienik, Ukraine's interim chargé d'affaires in the US, said Kyiv was awaiting an official position from the Pentagon and SpaceX. According to him, the system's performance remained unstable. An expert from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, quoted in Polish media, said for his part that reports from Ukrainian units pointed to more stable operation after initial tests.

The conflicting accounts show the situation is not yet clear. There has been no official confirmation from the Pentagon or SpaceX either that the limits have been lifted or that they remain.