Zelenskyy accuses Trump of restricting Starlink, crippling Ukraine military

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused US President Donald Trump of deliberately restricting access to Starlink satellite communications, claiming the move has severely impacted Ukraine's military capabilities. On October 14, SpaceX introduced speed limitations on Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian forces, capping connections at approximately 100 mph (160 km/h)—restrictions reportedly imposed without advance notice. This technical change has rendered most Ukrainian military drones inoperable and affected the country's most effective air defense system against Russian attack drones.

In interviews with the Financial Times and broadcaster Piers Morgan, Zelenskyy stated he feels personally betrayed by Trump. He revealed that he had proposed expanding Starlink access into Russian territory to target Russian ballistic missile launch systems, believing this could force Russia to negotiate and eliminate the need for Ukraine to strike Russian energy infrastructure. Instead of expanded access, Zelenskyy said Ukraine faced new restrictions, describing the decision as "a serious mistake" that will result in increased casualties.

The timing of the Starlink outage coincided with Russia launching ballistic missiles at Ukraine without advance warning from the US intelligence community—a contrast to years of prior US intelligence sharing on incoming strikes. Trump's administration has demanded that Ukraine cease strikes on Russian oil refineries, which the US president has blamed for high diesel costs, though most analysts attribute energy price spikes primarily to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Israel attack on Iran.

The two leaders' relationship has deteriorated since a contentious meeting in spring 2025 at the Oval Office, when Trump told Zelenskyy "You don't have the cards" to win the war. During a London visit on October 15, Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who pledged accelerated delivery of British military aid and said the UK would explore "all possible avenues" of further support. Zelenskyy said he hoped to raise both Starlink access and intelligence sharing in discussions with British leadership.