White House Ordered Slowdown of Starshield Service for Ukrainian Military, Officials Say

The order to restrict a SpaceX satellite system that Ukraine uses for battlefield communications and drone operations originated inside the White House, according to two U.S. officials and a Western official briefed on the matter. Leaders at the Defense Department received a message that the Starshield service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed, the officials said.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not specify who in the White House made the decision or who was responsible for carrying it out. The Pentagon is the largest customer of Starshield, the military grade version of the Starlink service developed by SpaceX specifically for government and national security customers. Starshield uses the Starlink constellation as its backbone.

The restriction came as President Donald Trump has pressured Kyiv to halt its attacks on Russian refineries, which he has blamed for rising energy prices he says are hurting his party ahead of the November midterm elections. Experts cited in the source say the surge in energy costs stems mainly from the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran, which brought Iranian attacks on energy facilities and largely shut the Strait of Hormuz. A senior U.S. official responded to a request for comment by saying, "No such request was ever made by the president." The White House did not respond to questions about whether other administration officials made the request.

Ukrainian officials said this week that military grade Starlink receptors stopped working when mounted on fast moving objects, interfering with Ukrainian drones that rely on them for onboard guidance systems over Ukrainian territory. A person in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said Thursday the receptors were again working in motion, but only at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, or 160 kph. Ukrainian officials said the restrictions complicated strike missions against Russian forces and logistics in occupied territory and slowed interceptor drones used to shoot down incoming Russian Shahed drones.

Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, said on X on Wednesday that because Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government, any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military or the president. SpaceX, the Defense Department, and the Ukrainian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

Relations between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated following an Oct. 9 meeting in Miami that convened representatives from both countries as well as Europe and the World Bank. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff told Ukrainian officials the U.S. was frustrated with continued strikes on Russian refineries. The U.S. delegation also explained a decision to strike a diesel deal with Russia, under which Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to U.S. and global markets. The deal drew backlash from some U.S. lawmakers who said it would give Moscow cash without forcing concessions. Zelenskiy called the decision "weak," while Trump called for elections in Ukraine and Zelenskiy's ouster.

The episode places a White House decision directly on a SpaceX military satellite service in an active war, affecting capabilities Ukraine relies on for front line connectivity and drone operations. The Pentagon has spent billions of dollars on Starlink and Starshield services and has bought dedicated Starshield satellites, including communications spacecraft for missile warning missions and a spy constellation for the National Reconnaissance Office.

Following the restriction, Ukrainian officials made calls Tuesday and Wednesday to senior officials at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon seeking answers. A senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv was told it was a White House decision. Trump said Tuesday Washington was still sharing intelligence with Ukraine.