Marco Rubio Denies White House Ordered Ukraine Satellite Slowdown
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied the White House ordered satellite internet slowdowns in Ukraine, while Elon Musk attributed Starshield control to the U.S. government.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied allegations that the White House ordered a slowdown of satellite internet services used by Ukraine for military operations. The denial follows claims from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that restrictions were part of a planned operation that disrupted drone fleets. Rubio stated that no one at the White House ordered the slowdown and indicated that service has since been restored.
Rubio further clarified that Ukraine does not have access to Starshield, a military-grade system owned by the U.S. government, despite Ukrainian requests to use the technology for deep strikes inside Russia. He distinguished Starshield from Starlink, the commercial product provided by SpaceX. Meanwhile, former Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Serhiy Sternenko reported that Starlink terminals have faced new restrictions, specifically losing connection at speeds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour, which has hindered military logistics.
Elon Musk stated that because the U.S. government owns and controls Starshield, any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and President Donald Trump.
