Ukraine would not exist without US support, Rubio says amid Starshield controversy

"If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now," Rubio told reporters in India on October 21, according to Bloomberg. "Ukraine as a sovereign state would not exist."

Rubio made the remarks in response to questions about a Wall Street Journal report that Musk had ordered restrictions on Starshield, a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite network used by Ukrainian forces.

The restrictions reportedly disrupted Ukrainian attack and interceptor drones.

Rubio said he was unaware of President Donald Trump having advance knowledge of the decision and denied that the administration had directed it.

"It's not accurate that we somehow knew about this ahead of time or directed it in any way," he said.

He also argued that the US government could not control how a private company operated its products.

Rubio said Washington was "no longer going to be defensive about this topic," while acknowledging that Ukrainian forces had "absolutely very bravely" resisted Russia's invasion.

The secretary of state also addressed ongoing US-led negotiations to end the war, describing them as difficult and saying discussions were focused on the future of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

According to Rubio, negotiators have proposed "creative ideas" to bridge disagreements, but both sides would have to make concessions.

He said Ukraine's primary concern was securing guarantees that would prevent another Russian invasion.

Rubio's remarks came as US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin following negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo.