A decision by Elon Musk led to restrictions on Use of Ukraine of SpaceX’s satellite communications network, people familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The satellite service, used for drone operations, targeting certain targets and protecting sites in Ukraine, was slowed down considerably last week.
Musk had several conversations with administration officials before issuing the order, the sources said. He wants clarification on the president’s thinking on the matter. Musk expressed his displeasure that his company was seen as profiting from the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
It’s unclear how Musk’s order to reduce service was carried out.
Musk licenses SpaceX’s Starshield technology to the US government. He said last week that the United States controls who can access the technology and what level of service those users receive.
“Any speed or usage limits are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk, the world’s richest person, wrote on X.
Musk did not respond to a request for comment. CBS News has reached out to the White House and Pentagon for comment.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report Musk’s order.
The temporary restrictions surprised some administration officials, who said neither Mr. Trump nor the Pentagon had specifically ordered limits intended to deliberately disrupt drone operations and battlefield communications.
Mr. Trump said Monday he was looking into who ordered the slowdown.
“I don’t know who it was, but I’d like to know,” he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Pentagon did not manipulate the service.
“We haven’t taken anything away. There are terms of service that ultimately have to be met. And that’s where Starlink has the opportunity to make those decisions, but nothing has changed from our point of view. We haven’t given any directives or anything like that,” Hegseth told reporters, adding that “we obviously wish the Ukrainians success.”
Zelensky told NBC News on Sunday that Ukraine’s Starshield service is still limited.
What is Starshield?
Starshield is a military-grade satellite network created by SpaceX for the U.S. government and its partners. It runs on similar technology to its civilian sister, Starlink.
The U.S. government pays to use Starshield and controls who can access the technology. Its use was limited to Ukraine and the occupied territories. It is not available in Russia
The Star Shield is essential to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as it allows personnel to communicate and carry out strikes, including maintaining contact with drones over long distances.
There is no effective alternative to Starlink, which has put a huge constellation of Earth satellites into orbit, and no direct competitor comes close.
What happened in Ukraine?
Ukrainian officials and soldiers told CBS News The country’s military began experiencing sudden difficulties with Starshield equipment Tuesday evening, including a throttling effect that made it more difficult to carry out missions with fast-moving drones. Sources in Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said SpaceX unilaterally imposed the Starshield restrictions.
Classic Starlink terminals have a speed limit of 70 km/h, which is the speed at which the Internet can be used in a moving vehicle. At rates faster than the cap, the Internet degrades and is no longer usable.
Starshield has no artificial speed limit and is known to operate at speeds of at least 100 mph. Starshield-equipped strike drones cruise at 100 mph or more and form the backbone of Ukraine’s medium-range strikes.
Ukrainian units have reported link interruptions at speeds as low as 90 km/h, rendering these drones unusable. The degradation of Starshield is estimated to have cost Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in losses, according to an analysis by Dimko Zhluktenko, a drone pilot and analyst for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Zelensky said saturday speed restrictions had prevented Ukraine from using Starshield to shoot down Shahed attack drones.
The Ukrainian leader wrote on X last week that “the Russians are trying to take advantage of the problems with Starlink in Ukraine, because our interceptor drones depend on this connection, among other things.”
Zelensky suggested that some restrictions still existed. He told NBC News over the weekend that the top speed was 100 mph, and he said Tuesday that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about “the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored.”
The apparent restrictions drew a quick backlash from U.S. lawmakers, with a bipartisan group of senators last week asking the Defense Department’s internal watchdog to investigate.
“There needs to be an investigation, we need to find out who these people are because lives are in danger and lives are being lost because of these things,” said Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio. said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” this weekend.
Why did Trump and Zelensky clash?
Beyond the Starshield disruptions, Zelensky has declared in recent days that Russia struck Ukraine without warning from the United Statesand deliveries of key interceptor missiles to Ukraine have slowed.
A senior Pentagon official told CBS News on Monday that there has been “no change in War Department policy regarding intelligence sharing or the capabilities we allow the Europeans to provide to Ukraine.”
Mr. Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Zelensky in recent weeks, accusing him of not doing enough to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The US president says the war is responsible for the rise in energy prices. His administration lifting of restrictions on the purchase of Russian diesel earlier this month in an effort to ease pressure on the product’s price, a move that Zelensky said could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump also lifted sanctions on Russia last week.
Mr. Trump said earlier this month that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to stop hitting each other’s energy infrastructure – announcing an “energy ceasefire”. Zelensky originally said Ukraine was ready to respect such an agreement, but Russian strikes never stopped. A few days later, he told the Financial Times that his country would no longer hesitate to strike Russian refineries because Russia was still attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The Russian government has never confirmed that it has agreed to a ceasefire.
In an interview with Newsmax on Thursday evening, Trump called Zelensky “not a good guy to deal with” and said Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries would be a “disgrace,” while urging both sides to reach a deal while adding that the Ukrainian leader is more difficult to deal with than Putin.
“I’m not a big fan of Zelensky,” Mr. Trump said.
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