Trump says Musk lifted Starlink restrictions in Ukraine, but Kyiv reports limits remain (UPDATED)
US President Donald Trump said Elon Musk had lifted restrictions on Ukraine's military-grade Starlink satellite communications system, although Ukrainian officials reported that its full functionality had not yet been restored.
Speaking to reporters on October 22, Trump declined to confirm a Wall Street Journal report that he had personally called Musk to request the change.
“Whether I called or somebody else called, the important thing is that he restored it,” Trump said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had called Musk on October 21 and asked him to remove restrictions affecting Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukraine.
According to US and Ukrainian officials cited by the newspaper, the system was operating more normally on October 22, although some Ukrainian officials said it had not returned to full functionality.
Economist journalist Oliver Carroll also reported that Ukrainian frontline drone commanders believed the restrictions had likely been lifted, but were still conducting tests.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the system's previous operating limit of 400 kilometers per hour had not yet been restored. He added that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had promised to provide further information.
Later on October 22, Zelenskyy's communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said Ukraine was still seeing the same speed limit.
The restrictions, introduced without advance warning on October 14, affected the speeds at which Starshield terminals could operate while in motion, rather than internet download speeds.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Musk had personally ordered the restrictions amid frustration over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Musk, however, said Starshield was owned and controlled by the US government, while the White House attributed the disruption to a technical malfunction.
Update, October 23: Sources in Ukraine's Defense Ministry told hromadske that Starlink/Starshield terminals were still experiencing connectivity losses at vehicle speeds of 161 km/h as of Friday morning.
“There is currently no confirmation that the restrictions have been lifted,” the sources said.
The assessment contradicts US President Donald Trump's October 22 statement that Elon Musk had removed the speed restrictions. Ukrainian defense officials continue to monitor the terminals' performance.