Ukraine is still unable to use its interception systems against Russian drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, due to speed restrictions imposed on Starshield, an upgraded military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink, amid an ongoing row with President Trump.
“Unfortunately, we cannot use Starlink or Starshield technology on our territory today to shoot down Shahed jets,” Zelensky said during an online panel discussion with journalists at the EU summit. “They are flying, and we can stop them with aircraft and other air defense, but unfortunately we don’t use Starlink for that. God willing, that will be restored.”
Zelenskyy said kyiv was discussing the issue with US officials and had been told the restrictions were linked to technical problems. The Ukrainian president added, however, that Starlink appears to operate at higher speeds on the territory of the European Union.
“Yes, we are in dialogue at the level of the military, the Ministry of Defense and diplomats, in contact with everyone, including SpaceX. No one is responding to our military or the Ministry of Defense at the moment,” Zelenskyy said. “At different levels, they say these are technical problems.”
“Here (in Ukraine), Starlink works up to a speed of 161 km/h and then turns off,” he continued. “In the EU it works more than 180° and constantly. Here it turns off in the second minute after 161 km/h and stops working. We lose both drones and connectivity.”
Mr. Trump told reporters Friday he did not limit Ukraine’s access to Starlink, adding that he also does not believe that Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, is responsible.
“Well, I don’t know if it was anyone because it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Mr. Trump said as he left the White House to attend a rally in Georgia. “And from what I understand, that’s how it’s always been.”
Musk said Wednesday that he was not responsible for deciding how Starshield was used, writing on
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.
Thierry Monassé/Getty Images 
On Saturday, Zelensky said Russia had carried out a broad attack on Ukraine’s energy sector, targeting more than 15 critical electricity generation and transmission facilities across the country. A day earlier, the president said current restrictions on Starshield left people vulnerable to Russian drones, which was “very painful and frustrating.”
Ukrainian officials and soldiers told CBS News The country’s military began experiencing sudden difficulties with Starshield equipment Tuesday evening, including speed limitations that made it more difficult to carry out missions with fast drones. Sources in Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said SpaceX unilaterally imposed the Starshield restrictions.
Mr. Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Zelensky in recent days, blaming the war between Russia and Ukraine for high global energy prices. The Trump administration lifting of restrictions on the purchase of Russian diesel last week in an effort to ease pressure, a move that Zelensky said could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a social media post Saturday, Zelenskyy called the decision “unfortunate,” adding that the law, championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, “could have helped tremendously.” He later told reporters he believed the Trump administration would lift more sanctions on Russia.
“Unfortunately, the lifting of sanctions will continue. I think the ‘diesel deal’ is only the first step,” Zelensky told reporters. CBS News has contacted the White House for comment.
Mr. Trump Ukraine and Russia said had agreed to stop hitting each other’s energy infrastructure – announcing an “energy ceasefire” this weekend. 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, Mr. Trump called Zelensky “not a good guy to deal with,” said Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries would be a “disgrace,” urged both sides to reach a deal and said the Ukrainian leader was more difficult to deal with than Putin.
“I’m not a big fan of Zelensky,” Mr. Trump said.
On Wednesday, Musk tweeted: “It’s time for Zelensky to go.”
Gn usa
