Trump administration offers mixed messages on limits to Ukraine’s Starshield access

Recent efforts to throttle Ukraine’s access to satellite systems have created a blame game of sorts among Trump administration officials and their allies, who have offered mixed messages about what led to the sudden restrictions on Kyiv's ability to intercept… WASHINGTON (AP) — Recent efforts to throttle Ukraine’s access to satellite systems have created a blame game of sorts among Trump administration officials and their allies, who have offered mixed messages about what led to the sudden restrictions on Kyiv’s ability to intercept Russian strikes. The limitations placed on Starshield — SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication — last week alarmed the country’s military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions.

After days of handwringing, President Donald Trump asserted Thursday that the service is again running at full speed. The episode and subsequent lack of accountability have sent shock waves through Russia hawks and Ukraine’s allies on Capitol Hill. Questions have percolated since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Elon Musk-made satellite internet system that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.

Trump, as recently as Thursday, has maintained that he didn’t make the call. Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement. Musk — one of the GOP’s biggest donors and a Trump ally — indicated that because Ukraine was using the military-grade version of his technology, questions about the service should be directed to the Pentagon.

Here are the players in their own words: President Donald Trump Over the last week, Trump has repeatedly told reporters that he didn’t order restrictions on a satellite communications system used by Ukraine’s military, causing its drones to lose speed. The president also earlier doubted the disruption came from Musk, formerly a close adviser and frequent companion. “Well, I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump said Friday.

“And from what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been.” On Thursday, Trump appeared to confirm that the service had been down and claimed that it was once again working at optimal speeds. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had agreed to lift restrictions, and Trump demurred when asked if he had requested to lift the cap. “You know, whether I called or whether somebody else called, …