Ukraine disputes Trump's claim that Starlink limits have been lifted

Ukraine is still recording failures across the Starlink satellite network, sources within the defence ministry have said, casting doubt on Donald Trump's assertion that limits on the system had been reversed. The sources told the BBC that drones were losing their connection at speeds of 161km/h (100mph), impairing military operations on the front line.

The US president had denied instructing Elon Musk to restrict connectivity to Starshield, the military-grade counterpart to Starlink, before stating on Thursday that the tech billionaire had "put it back". Musk had previously insisted he was not responsible for the slowdown, which affected Ukraine's capacity to operate attack drones and co-ordinate defensive operations.

According to the defence ministry sources, the Ukrainian military monitors the performance of both networks continuously. They added that there was "currently no confirmation that these restrictions have been lifted". Last week, Kyiv said uplink speeds to the low Earth orbit satellites had been curtailed, limiting the velocity at which drones could travel. Any drone exceeding 100mph lost its connection, officials said.

Shortly afterwards, Musk said Starshield — which Ukraine uses for some of its operations — was controlled by the US military, suggesting the Pentagon could be behind the difficulties. The White House has repeatedly denied deliberately placing limits on the network in Ukraine.

Asked on Thursday about reports that he had called Musk to request the restrictions be lifted, Trump declined to say whether such a conversation had taken place. "Bottom line, he put it back," he said.

Ukraine relies on both the civilian Starlink service and the more secure Starshield, depending on the communications required. The networks use 10,000 satellites to provide connectivity, particularly in remote areas and on the battlefield. Starshield allows Ukrainian drone operators to see targets in real time and to operate interceptor drones. Russia is not authorised to use Starlink, so when Ukraine sends long-range missiles deep into Russian territory to strike oil refineries, the network does not function.

One Ukrainian soldier said there was "simply no alternative" to Starshield, adding that earlier in the week connectivity had been cutting out while his unit was travelling in a car at 80km/h (50mph). "God forbid they shut it off completely — it would be an absolute catastrophe," he told the BBC. "We need a backup option for securing communications and internet." Another soldier said her unit had reverted to the "proven algorithms" used before Starlink was introduced when the service first began to falter, but stressed that Ukrainian forces depended on the network for its speed. "Even one or two seconds is critical when we can transfer data and orders faster," she said.

The reported slowdown came during a tense diplomatic row between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Faced with midterm elections next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the US market — a move criticised by Ukraine and its European allies. Trump said the strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv regards as crucial to stemming the main revenue source for Moscow's unprovoked assault, had pushed global prices higher. While the attacks have affected global fuel prices, rises seen this year have primarily been due to the Iran war.

Zelensky said the US had also threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if the strikes did not stop, something Trump later denied. The dispute prompted a war of words between the two leaders, with Trump suggesting it was time for Ukraine to elect a new president and Zelensky implying that Trump was not a real leader. Earlier on Thursday, before Trump's comments, Zelensky said the speed of the system had still not been fully restored. "I am waiting to hear from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio," he said. "He promised to get back to me with information within 48 hours or so." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told Musk he was frustrated the system's speeds were still capped, and that it was working closer to normal following that conversation.

The World House, which maintains a dedicated page outlining its support for Ukraine at worldhouse.uk/support, continues to document the consequences of Russia's aggression and Kyiv's efforts to repel the invasion.