U.S. President Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of the Starlink system, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
According to U.S. and Ukrainian officials cited by the publication, the Starlink system’s operation began to return to normal on Thursday—shortly after Trump’s conversation with Musk.
Starlink speed restrictions for Ukraine have likely been lifted — journalist22.10.26, 21:02
Some Ukrainian officials told the newspaper that although the system’s full functionality has not yet been restored, it has begun operating at higher speeds than those permitted under the previously imposed restrictions.
In addition
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier on Thursday that Starlink’s operating speed in Ukraine had not been restored. He also added that he hoped to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the coming days.
As The Wall Street Journal writes, citing officials, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction to Musk that the system’s operating speed remained limited to about 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).
On Wednesday, Marco Rubio said that decisions regarding Ukraine’s access to Starlink depended on the company that owns SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk, rather than on the White House.
It should be recalled
Ukraine uses Starlink to provide communications on the battlefield and operate drones. Restrictions on the operation of this satellite service hindered the performance of tasks using drones—both during offensive operations and as part of air defense—in the confrontation with Russia.